ARTIST

Award-winning artist and environmentalist Kitty Cantrell is known for her striking sculptures of North American wildlife. Intricately designed and detailed, her Mixed Media sculptures capture expressions of animals that have never known human touch. Wolves, eagles and humpback whales are a few of the subjects this native Californian has chosen to sculpt since beginning her professional career in 1987. Cantrell believes that her sculptures are a way for people to better understand the earth's wild creatures. "If my sculptures can make people think about wildlife and appreciate the importance of wildlife, then maybe they will feel compelled to help protect it."  After spending many hours researching the animals she sculpts, Cantrell first produces a rough sculpture out of soft clay to check for composition and form. She then painstakingly forms a master sculpture that is authentic to scale and anatomically accurate. Cantrell coats this second sculpture with silicone rubber and plaster casting. When the mold is ready, she sends it to the foundry where a resin cast is made. After the cast is checked by the artist for accuracy, molds are pressed. Pewter is used as a base for the sculptures which are covered with various metals, including bronze, copper and 24K gold. Using actual hot-torched acid patinas, not paints or dyes, the metals are beautifully colored to bring the sculpture to life. Cantrell has received dozens of awards for her work, which also includes bronzes and pastels. A member of a half-dozen environmental organizations, Cantrell donates a portion of the proceeds from her art to the Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund and the Grounded Eagle Foundation.

View artist peices by Kitty Cantrell, click here.