We all like seeing pictures of your work. Please post your work! The pics from the world competition were great...

Here's a few of Chris' 7 World Title pieces from years past. Chris is known in the industry for his exceptional work with small mammals.

2003 -3rd Best Mammals in the World and 2nd and 3rd Best Original Sculptures in the World. This mount also won National's Best of Show, Judge's Choice, North American Champion Small Mammals, National Champion Reproduction (for the leopard frog), and also Arizona's Best of Show and People's Choice.





1999- This mount won Chris Taxidermist of the Year at the Nationals and North American Champion Small Mammals.





Here's 5 of the 11 mounts he did for the Smithsonian Institute.
Sugar gliders in Flight on transport base and in the Smithsonian





Here's a classic Bev Doolittle print transformed.





And a few fun mounts:









Small mammal mounts aren't the norm to be showcased on this site, but they are just as time consuming and for the most part, more difficult than large mammal mounts. All these small mammals have been carcass cast and original forms made for each one.

Mary,

Those are great! Thanks for posting them. As a predator hunter, I really appreciate the "little guys".

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by Mary Hilliard-Krueger:
All these small mammals have been carcass cast and original forms made for each one.

I'm assuming you are talking about casting the forms like fish are often done? Please explain a bit.

Bazor ibex wall mount taken by Bill Slatery. I mounted this ram two years ago. I haven't gone to a taxidermy show in a long time.

Beautiful mount, James.

Tony,

Yes, it is similar. There are several different ways to carcass cast and all produce the same end result. Here's a few pictures from an article Chris wrote for the trade magazine, Breakthrough, on his carcass casting technique with an abbreviated description of the process. (Sorry, for picture quality, I scanned them from the magazine article).

Chris skins the specimen and positions the whole carcass into the pose desired for the form and freezes the carcass whole.



The frozen extremeties are cut off close to the body and the carcass is then set up (laterally) in a bed of clay. A wall is then built to hold in the plaster and burlap for the top mold pour. After the top pour dries he inverts the form and builds a wall again for the plaster pour, for the other side of the mold.





He now has a custom mold for the 4# density foam pour for the form. The extremities are cast in silicone and made with strong hot glue. Here's all the parts and death mask to replace the face for accuracy when mounting:



Pieces put together to make custom form:



Custom carcass cast form mounted and won National Champion Small Mammal:



Here is another World Show piece from 2005 that was carcass cast. Cinnamon marmot pups wrestling around, took 3rd Best Small Mammal Group in the World:





Chris' great success with carcass casting led him to sculpt forms for a major taxidermy supply company.

Mary,

Thanks for the most thorough description and pix. It's about what I thought.

quote:

Originally posted by sculptor:
Bazor ibex wall mount taken by Bill Slatery. I mounted this ram two years ago. I haven't gone to a taxidermy show in a long time.

Look at that face, and you think your better than Louis Ray?

Body is fine, base is great, face looks hokey.

I have to admit that photo shows it off scew some? I am not sure why? It maybe the way the lighting was or the edit work, I did not take the photo.. I can assure you the mount was not. I never said I was better than anyone. Here are some fairly recent Bighorn and lion mounts I did. Lets see the mounts hanging in your house. Alti Russian boar Muley Pronghorn for the Smithsonian N atural History Museum in Washington DC A 42" spread on this muley I mounted. I mounted this leopard just a few weeks ago. Working on my Ram Country Monument Sculpture.

Beautiful work as always James, you've now met our resident taxidermy hater, D99 loves to tell all the taxidermists how bad their work is. Take a look in the archives and you'll see.