Early Pieces
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THANK YOU TOM!
A Special THANKS goes out to Tom Matuska for giving me the opportunity to develop my sculpting skills. My work is exclusively marketed by Tom at Matuska Taxidermy Supply. If you like my work, please let him know. As a business owner, he has to know there is a market for something before he can invest the money into development. Please check out his supply catalog and/or website and look him up at the many shows he attends. We need to support the few independent supply companies we have left!
black bear sculptures
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Sculpting this line of bear sculptures has been an ongoing process. My focus has been on consistency from one size form to the next. The basis of the entire line was to produce extremely accurate and well fitting changeout heads. The differences between male and female bears are what causes a lot of the problems with poor fitting heads. At the same eye-nose measurement, boars have much wider and deeper muzzles and heads than sows. These heads were designed to address those differences. Every size head began as a plaster mold from an actual bear skull with meat on it, both sows and boars, rather than making one head and just expanding it.
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black bear heads being molded
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black bear Changeout heads
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Initially closed mouth heads were sculpted and as we neared completion of these, we began working on open mouth snarling heads. Symmetry and consistency on these was a difficult matter but worth the effort. I feel there is a huge advantage in these heads compared to others in the industry. The use of the Mohr mouth cup meeting onto the foam form allows you to 1) tuck the lip in as opposed to messy gluing and difficult finish work and 2) to sand the foam down or add to it if necessary to make a perfect fit on the muzzle, something very difficult to do with the solid plastic muzzle inserts. I prefer to use the natural skin on the nose, hence no molded in artificial noses on these. Again it allows custom work for individual variations. However it is easy enough to put an artificial nose in place if that is your preference. There are still a couple of the larger size open mouths under construction right now. Check with Matuska Taxidermy Supply to see what is currently molded.Currently there is only one panting mouth available due to low demand. It is in a common size, 5" eye nose. If there is interest in more sizes, they can be sculpted.
BLACK BEAR rug shells
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Our next step was to take the changeout heads we had molded and cast and use them in a line of rug shells. Tom wanted something "new", so I designed a form that would address the problems often caused where the skin comes off the edge of the rugshell at a sharp angle causing either a kink on the rug or the glue pulling loose. These rugshells not only have a low angle at the edges but also utilize a rise flowing out onto where the front legs extend outward. I feel that this helps eliminate the "steamroller" appearance of traditional rugs.
black bear shoulder forms
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The next step in the black bear line was to use the many changeout heads sculpted and molded and sculpt neck and shoulders to accept them. As another innovation, the necks are made with a key that accepts various heads. Again designed to address the problem of individual variation, this allows an unlimited choice of head sizes and styles to be used on each shoulder form. Currently there are two positions, head low sculpted in both left and right turns and head high sculpted in a right turn (left turn to come). The head low is unusual to some but is perfect for hanging where clients have high ceilings and want to hang the mount high. Instead of seeing the bottom of the mount's jaw, the bear's face is looking down into the room. Shoulder mounts are are available for both closed and open mouth heads and make a nice alternative for those who already have a rug or do not want a lifesize mount or where money is a consideration. Plus they are fast and easy to mount so are a good money maker for the shop. One more position will be coming...an upright aggressive pose with a head tilt to the side.
more on the way
I am currently beginning on a line of grizzly/brown bear heads. Steps are also under way for the development of the first of hopefully a variety of lifesize and half lifesize bears.