strangeday
Trad climber
Brea ca.
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Sep 30, 2011 - 03:45pm PT
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That is beautiful, and I'm sure painstaking work. I always get joy out of seeing people who can practice their art for a living, regardless of the medium they choose...thanks for sharing.
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Bruce Kay
Gym climber
BC
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Sep 30, 2011 - 03:48pm PT
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your work is of excellent quality. I've seen plenty of taxidermy that by comparision is mediocre at best. That bufflehead is superb as is that cougar. It reminds me of comparing Lansdowne to the vast majority of other wildlife painters. I've tried my hand at it myself so I have a sense for the difficulty in attaining such superb replication. way to go
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Sep 30, 2011 - 04:01pm PT
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Very good looking stuff, Ron.
The mountain lion, bobcat, and that african cat look alive!!! They're all good, but those struck me.
That reno airport scene kick ass too.
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thaDood
Mountain climber
PortaLedga OnzaKaleefa
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Sep 30, 2011 - 04:03pm PT
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Ron,
yes, that wayed in on my decision to let nature take its own course with the bird. i was fearful of being stopped and having it discovered in the back of my truck. or getting turned in by the taxidermist if i managed to find one. i wasn't sure of the regulations at the time(1978). but i was getting a little paranoid in that regard. i couldn't see just dumping it in some dumpster in town. i imagine that it went to good use and, for instance, some little critter such as a field mouse was a tad bit warmer that winter with some nice fluffy down under-feathers that it managed to escape with and add to its burrow. life goes on...
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Kalimon
Trad climber
Ridgway, CO
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Sep 30, 2011 - 04:13pm PT
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Beautiful work Ron!
The repro rock shot is really amazing.
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Ron Anderson
Trad climber
USA Carson city Nev.
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 30, 2011 - 04:15pm PT
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Tanx All! I did want to say that i started this thread with a wee bit o hesitation as i didn't want to offend anyone! ANd thaDood, i went past a western tanager laying on hgwy 50 just yesterday.. Its shameful these go to waste as they do..The laws became to be in the early 1900s over the fashion industry and particularly, ladies hats. They are antiquated and irresponsible in today's times, but without a lobbyist, my industry remains chocked.
Ive been lucky to work at one of the largest studios in existence in Reno, Animal Artistry by Mike Boyce, where i was a salaried supervisor and when i left, we were doing 240K per month of finished pieces delivered. It was experience that you can only find there. I worked on specimens from nearly every country in existence. I've had a part time biz since i was 12 then full time for the last twenty some years.
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BurnRockBurn
climber
South of Black Rock City (CC,NV)
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Sep 30, 2011 - 04:18pm PT
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Is your shop in moundhouse. ?
Would like to see your stuff and talk climbing sometime soon. PM me
Shawn
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Ron Anderson
Trad climber
USA Carson city Nev.
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 30, 2011 - 04:21pm PT
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yawning pine marten
this TINY lil mount won six major awaards, including best of show. Sometimes big things come in teensie packages..(yeah,, where have i used that line before !!1;-))
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Sep 30, 2011 - 04:31pm PT
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Damn, Ron!
That Pine Marten is awesome!!!!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Sep 30, 2011 - 04:40pm PT
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Ya know, I got to thinking about this after looking at some of Ron's awesome life-like work, but I think there is some awesome educational value in these works.
Imagine these in a school setting. Gettng to examine awesome wild specimens up close without danger, and without looking at a dead animal corpse. Taxidermy is the best of both worlds for curious children who may never see these specimens.
They can actually sit an examine them, and study them.
I know some people hate seeing dead animals and don't agree with taxidermy, but think of the educational value, man!!!
Kids would totally dig it!!! And it doesn't really encourage killing animals.
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neversummer
Trad climber
30 mins. from suicide USA
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Sep 30, 2011 - 05:07pm PT
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Very cool.
What are some of the values $$ of the different animals once you have finished them ?
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Sep 30, 2011 - 05:16pm PT
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Ron - I was worried my post would come across even a tiny bit negative and it was not intended to! Glad it wasn't. My thoughts were designed to demonstrate that I feel your work is spectacular! They are all beautiful animals and your worked has really preserved that.
Still won't look at the cougar though. It scares me! So real.
Questions if you don't mind. Who are your clients? Hunters? Museums? Cabelas? Do you think most have get an animal with this outcome in mind? I'm curious how the animals ends up with you.
How did you learn to do this? Is it a family thing? How long have you been at it? Did you always know you wanted to do this? I guess you had no family member try to feed you to the giant hairy boar mounted on the wall in the middle of the night (my family *does* have a sick sense of humor).
Thanks in advance! Interesting stuff.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Sep 30, 2011 - 05:16pm PT
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Ron: Thanks for sharing the great photos of the work you do.
I teased Heidi about having our 19 year old cat-son stuffed, after he died last spring. Told her I wanted the jaws to open and recorded meows to issue forth.
She wasn't amused.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Sep 30, 2011 - 05:40pm PT
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A parrot shop in Houston had all their deceased birds stuffed around the shop. There were a lot of them. Bleck!
What creeped me out most was that they were all super dusty from sitting on shelves. It seemed like they should have just wiped them off. Or maybe not? What's the proper care of something like that?
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thaDood
Mountain climber
PortaLedga OnzaKaleefa
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Sep 30, 2011 - 05:49pm PT
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"they are antiquated and irresponsible in todays times..."
I agree, it is really a shame. as a kid living in the great outdoors of eastern canada, central utah, the foothills of the appalachian mts and the shores of the california coast i was in awe of all the various critters, particularly the raptors that frequent those locals.
Your "art of death" actually brings them back to life for us to enjoy.
Thanks!
edit: Crimpergirl, as a youth, "How to Taxidermy" courses/schools, etc. adds were in many magazines and comics etc. Most boys were fascinated in the art/science. It just had this appeal, a link to nature. the ability to preserve creatures and so forth. hard to define.
EDIT: vvvvsplitclimber describes the reasons well.
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splitclimber
climber
Sonoma County
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Sep 30, 2011 - 05:58pm PT
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very cool Ron.
I'm a wildlife biologist and can really appreciate your work.
blue - you're right, great educational purposes, not only for identification but also a respect and admiration for the animal.
if you're ever up in Humboldt County, go to the wildlife department at HSU and look around for a while.
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Ron Anderson
Trad climber
USA Carson city Nev.
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 30, 2011 - 07:23pm PT
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Sorry guys & gals, had to go make a delivery lol! As per the questions, Yes indeed ive done many student seminars around schools, boy scout groups etc etc. I donate mounts to "hunt of a lifetime" programs for ill children, so on and so forth. Also do seminars on taxidermy itself through out the country at times, as well as my shop. I learned through a home taxudermy book by shooters bible, circa late 60s and it went from there. Im really NEVER satisfied with pieces though which is a good thing for keeping the creative fire going i suppose. Clients vary, ESPECIALLY now, but i have out fitters that recomend me for a percentage, and local word of mouth reference from freinds and customers, as well as the internet. Ive had to shift priorities to doing wholesale for other taxidermists these days with the crappy economy around here and i have wholesale clients scattered through out the country..I sort of well known in my industry..
edit:Neversummer, the vaulues or costs vary greatly..A bobcat for instance is 995.00 on a basic habitat. If you wanted it wall mounted thats a bit more, and the more habitat to the scene, the higher the price. I sold a world show competition piece of five quail for 5200.00 Lots of variance!
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Ron Anderson
Trad climber
USA Carson city Nev.
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 30, 2011 - 07:32pm PT
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double wolf piece they stood over 6' on the base...
in progress pronghorn antelope, clay had neen added to correct the form, make gland tucks, eye orbits and jaw lines which lack in mannikins. All these things must be learned through hands on study of skinned reference. I even add a flesh colored septum to the interior of the nostrils..
HUGE brownie
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Sep 30, 2011 - 07:39pm PT
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Ron...Can you do chimpanzees ?
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