Sculptor Jim Gilmore has lived his entire life on a 1,000 acre cattle ranch west of Alamosa in Colorado's San Luis Valley, which his father purchased in 1950. Boasting awesome views of the Rocky Mountains, meadows surrounded by majestic forests and four miles of Rio Grande river frontage, the ranch provides the perfect inspiration for this wildlife artist. Sixty acres of shallow wetlands, where waterfowl nest and deer and elk browse, have been the inspiration for several sculptures. The ability to portray a creature's unique personality comes to Gilmore naturally because animals on the vast property have always played a central role in his life.
As the son of a rancher, art was not the foremost endeavor that was expected of this man of the land. Gilmore's first exposure to art came when his father took him to a saddle-making shop owned by Bill Chapell who also painted and sculpted. Gilmore took many lessons from Chappel and enjoyed learning to paint in oils and watercolors but it was the moment his hands touched wax that he discovered his life's passion - sculpting.
In 1985, the first sculpture he cast, of a 12 inch high horse, was used as the National Appaloosa Association's Reining Horse of the Year trophy.
Though proficient in drawing, Gilmore prefers to sketch out the design of each piece in 4 to 6 inch high wax models before starting to sculpt in clay. "The most difficult part of sculpting is working out a simple yet strong design in the wax, while keeping the anatomy accurate," says Gilmore. "If the anatomy isn't right, the piece won't work."
Since producing his first monument, "Bears First", a grizzly sow and two cubs for Baylor University 10 years ago, Gilmore has completed 15 monumental sculptures, including a double life-size bison "Guardian of the Plains" for Sapulpa, Oklahoma which will be installed in the summer of 2007. "After receiving the commission to sculpt the bison monument, I placed my sculpting stand in a corral next to a 2,000 pound bull named Joe," says Gilmore, who used a neighboring rancher's bison as the model for the 12 foot high monument. So as to take exact measurements of the animals, he also helped with a bison roundup on a nature conservancy ranch. "To truly capture the spirit of the animal I sculpt from life whenever possible." says Gilmore.
While acknowledging that his inspiration is often sparked by a face-to-face encounter with a bird or animal it also requires research and a deliberate process to transform that inspiration into an anatomically correct sculpture that will evoke the emotional response from the viewer. After having 75 editions cast in bronze, half of which are sold out, Gilmore has become a master at creating dramatic sculptures of wildlife that are eagerly sought by naturalists, sportsmen and art collectors alike. He proudly states "that the animal anatomy book Chappel gifted me as a teenager is finally tattered and worn out."
He has won numerous best in show awards: Safari Club International, National Wildlife Art Show and Nature Works Art Show just to mention a few.
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