YUKON ENCOUNTER

Monumental Bronze, 1 1/4 Life-size, Limited Ed. of 10 – Created 2010

“I am grateful for having the chance to have lived my life around western art and to my father, Ken Payne, who taught me at any early age, the love of art. After sculpting 45 years, I still find it hard to believe that this was truly a lasting passion that has steadily grown throughout the years.

As a sculptor, I am indebted for the immense volume of historical and wildlife subject matter we all have in our trade. I found for me, it helps in the learning process to include different subject matter relative to the American West; ‘Yukon Encounter’ is one of these.

On one of my trips to Alaska, I was inspired to create ‘Yukon Encounter.’ It is very evident, in this unique part of the world, that there is a chain of life. This sculpture provided me a unique opportunity, to create a dynamic story of an eagle chasing a wolf from a caribou kill in order to take his turn. The large grizzly bear tracks along the base show the beginning link of this chain of life.

The exciting subject matter, variable textures such as the feathers, fur, and antlers gave me a great amount of liberty to the compositional development of my most recent wildlife sculpture. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did in bringing it to life.”

–Vic Payne