IN THE LAND OF THE TUKUDEKA

Vic has long been known for his ability to transport viewers into the heart of history through Western bronze sculptures, and his latest wildlife work-in-progress, In the Land of the Tukudeka, is no exception.

This stunning new piece pays homage to the Northern Shoshone people, the Tukudeka, who once thrived in the Yellowstone and northern Rocky Mountains, spanning Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Skilled hunters, they lived in harmony with the land, pursuing bighorn sheep across treacherous terrain, their lives entwined with the rhythms of nature.

Vic’s sculpture captures the intensity of that world, a breathtaking moment frozen in bronze. Two Bighorn sheep race down a mountainside, their muscles tense with urgency, while a mountain lion barrels down in pursuit, the wild drama unfolding in mid-motion. The raw energy, the tension between survival and fate—it’s all there, sculpted with breathtaking detail. But this isn’t just about movement. In the Land of the Tukudeka, a deeper story is told, ensuring that the legacy of the Northern Shoshone doesn’t fade into obscurity but remains firmly anchored in the collective memory of the West.

For Vic, art is history sculpted in bronze, and his latest masterpiece does exactly that, preserving a people, a culture, and a moment in time that shaped the untamed landscapes of the frontier.