American Faces #33

Meet Dave, a long-time art teacher, who since his retirement has traveled and hunted all over the world. This American Faces (#33) is actually the sequel to #32 featuring taxidermy artist, Jeff S. Dave first met Jeff when he hired him for his taxidermy skills, and they quickly formed a friendship through their mutual enjoyment of the outdoors and hunting. But it was their shared backgrounds and passion for art that created a true connection between these two guys. During our time together, Dave expressed his appreciation and respect for Jeff’s abilities to create a life-like feel in the mounts that adorn the walls of his home in Minnesota.

Now, I know a picture of dead things on a wall, or even the hunter who took them, may not be appreciated by everyone. But I can say these are two great guys, and I know the places they hunt, and the remote communities to where they often travel, are positively impacted by them and other hunters like them. Tribes and local people groups receive the meat and hides, the local guides are well paid, and money for licenses is used to support wildlife conservation and habitat improvement.

To Dave and Jeff, I say “thank you” for being such willing subjects for these American Faces portraits, and for taking time to share some stories of your epic wildlife adventures!

American Faces #32

I was introduced to Jeff S. by Randy Hatanpa, who served as art director for me on this shoot (I also featured Randy in my previous AF post). Randy’s a longtime client who’s called on Jeff numerous times to create artistic masterpieces for his own collection.

Jeff is an artist whose creativity is not expressed in the more traditional confines of drawing, pottery or any other artistic medium that automatically comes to your mind. He creates his nearly magical art through the medium of taxidermy. Jeff has an incredible ability to make deer, elk or any number of other animals look so alive they seem they could come right off the wall or walk from their pedestal. He sculpts the underlying foam models to bring out details even the hunter, angler or wildlife enthusiast may not have noticed. The intricate detail of his work is stunning, from the texture of a nose, to the color of the eyes. The lifelike similarities across all of Jeff’s work can make you feel like you’re in a room where the animals are ready to roam the halls. I know some people reading this may not necessarily appreciate or approve of taxidermy or hunting. If that’s you, I encourage you to look past that for a moment, notice the beautiful details in those mounts and appreciate the talent of an artist.

Next up: Watch for my next American Faces profile, a “sequel” to this post, featuring one of Jeff’s hunter clients.

American Faces - #31

I met Craig L. at a recent photoshoot in Dayton, Minnesota. Our brief conversation led to Craig talking about his service to our country as a Marine in the late 1970’s. I could see there was a sense of pride in his eyes as he spoke of his service. Likewise, when he mentioned his son who is currently serving, I could tell this man, this father of a soldier was proud of the path his son has taken. Craig’s life may not be easy, but this man is worthy of our appreciation. He served our country, but maybe more than that is he is our neighbor. When you meet the “Craigs” of our world say thank you, shake their hand, and maybe even buy them a cup of coffee.