It takes a special kind of love of wildlife to create the majestic, bronze beings that artist Jeff Eppler creates. The passion is felt within the meticulous details he crafts into each piece, careful not to miss a beat of the animal’s beauty, and giving a rare glimpse into its everyday life.
Roadrunner VII – Courtship Gift, bronze, ed. of 77, 18½ x 113/8 x 11¼ in.
On October 11 and 12, Legacy Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is proud to present A Weekend with Jim Eppler, during which art enthusiasts will be able to have a unique experience to see nature through Eppler’s eyes as he explores the magic of wildlife.
Eppler’s love for “critters,” as he calls them, began at a very early age. He knew he was interacting with art differently than the other kids in his school when it came to drawing assignments and he was the last one done. “As they would [finish], they would come over and watch me draw,” the artist remembers. “By the end they were asking me to draw them horses and things.” These were his first commissions.
Raven IX E, bronze
Bronzes came decades later when the artist was in his 40s. Eppler didn’t let his later start slow him down, though, and he quickly began producing impressive wildlife subjects in clay for bronze. His first bronze was a moose, and then a raven, which is a frequent subject even still today in his studio.
Fawn III (The Twins), bronze, ed. of 50, 4¾ x 18 x 13½ in.
“And then the ravens just kind of caught on. People just loved them. And so I kept making ravens,” he says. “I like that ravens have so many different meanings. They can be very foreboding. Edgar Allan Poe comes to mind, so they can be spooky.”
When Eppler presents his new works at Legacy Gallery in Santa Fe, collectors will find pieces like Raven IX E,which has the subject holding something in its beak. The artist reveals it’s a small turquoise stone. “You know, they’re very inquisitive,” the artist says. “They do that. They pick things up and carry them around.”
Rooster, clay for bronze, ed. of 50, 7½ x 3½ x 8¾ in.
Another new work is Roadrunner VII – Courtship Gift, showing a pair of roadrunners, one with a lizard feast in its beak. The posing of the male on top of the female roadrunner is an example of the birds’ unique mating ritual. “The male will catch a lizard and then he does this bobbing tail thing where he wags it back and forth to attract the attention of the female,” Eppler says. “They just do a kind of dance. The lizard is a gift for the female.”
For more information about Eppler’s work, visit the gallery’s website. —
Legacy Gallery Santa Fe 225 Canyon Road » Santa Fe, NM 87501 » (505) 986-9833 » www.legacygallery.com
Powered by Froala Editor
