The Spring 1999 Issue is now available To Order:

CALL OF THE WILD The Animal World of Dan Ostermiller by Robin R. Salmon

Dan Ostermiller's art is usually labeled "animal sculpture," but within that field is an extraordinary range of subjects and interpretations.  From domestic creatures in the barnyard to various species of wildlife across North America and Africa, Ostermiller's animals are strength of the grizzly, the feline grace of the housecat, the nervous vulnerability of the impala-each figure has a quality and, in Ostermiller's rendering, a life all its own.

As did Edward Kenneys, who was considered America's first animal sculptor, Ostermiller approached sculpture through his boyhood love of animals and hunting.  His knowledge of native and exotic animals was acquired under the tutelage of his father, a renowned taxidermist who owned an international taxidermy business in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Expected to take over the family business one day, Ostermiller chose instead to follow a different path that led him to portray the spirits of animals in clay, plaster, and bronze.