Meadowlark Gallery: The Artist Biographies

Robert Deurloo

A westerner by residence and subject matter, Robert Deurloo sculpts the wildlife he spends his days observing in the remote mountains of Salmon River country. Born in San Francisco in 1946, he grew up in Colorado and as a young man moved about, including a period of living in the rain forests of South America.

In 1989, Deurloo and his wife settled in Idaho in an area described by a writer for Wildlife Art (5/96) as "postcard-perfect." Deurloo says he "can step out my back door and my subjects are all around me. Within ten miles of where I live are all the animals I sculpt, with the exception of the grizzly. I have to go to Montana for that." Nearby is the town of Salmon, one of the most remote locations in the United States. It is ten miles from the Continental Divide and surrounded by National Forest and other wilderness areas.

Basically self-taught, he began sculpting in the 1970s when he saw in a museum some pieces he wanted but couldn’t afford. So he decided to make his own. Since then he has won a number of awards including: "Best Sculpture" of the Collectors Society Show in Minneapolis; "Best Interpretive Bronze," Ducks Unlimited National Wildlife Show in Kansas City; and "Best Wildlife Sculpture" in the Saratoga Art Show.

Major distinguishing aspects of his sculpture are the patinas which cause his bronzes to have a polish finish resembling stone of the area where the depicted animal is native. A howling wolf may look like it was carved from the granite of the Sawtooth Mountains.

His work is a combination of abstraction and realism, and he prefers to suggest rather than leave nothing to viewer imagination. His reduction of some of the detail enhances the appearance of the stone, but for certain parts of the animal such as the antlers on a deer he is meticulous about detail.

Source: Taos Gallery, Aurora, Colorado

View high resolution images of works by Robert Deurloo when available.