"I love to experience raw nature, I live for it," he says. Whenever I feel as if I've been trapped in civilization for too long, I can't wait to touch the wilderness, taste it and smell it. When I'm in the backcountry gathering material for a new piece, this is how I empower myself to say something artistically."

Shinabarger's wildlife studies and monumental celebrations of big game animals have earned him honors and recognition from the National Sculpture Society, the Society of Animal Artists, and several prominent museums, distinctions rare for someone so young. Most recently in 2001, he was the recipient of the C. Percival Dietsch Award from the National Sculpture Society. He has also received the Louis Bennett Pri...