practiced taxidermy, eventually building his own award-winning business, Custom Wildlife Creations. For eight years, Doug ran his taxidermy business while keeping his “day” job, and later went on to win a regional competition including taxidermy artists from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. Doug had grown up with a keen eye for the splendid details of nature, and his artistic talent was recognized early on – he’d painted and illustrated wildlife since childhood – but taxidermy was where he gained a truly acute knowledge of wildlife anatomy.
His awards in taxidermy convinced him to return to art, choosing bronze wildlife sculpting as his full-time vocation in 1994. Doug is one of the fastest-rising talents in the world of wildlife sculpture today. In just the first seven years of his sculpting career, Doug received top national honors twice from the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (FNAWS) – in 1999, he was awarded the prestigious title of “Artist of the Year,” and in 2001 he earned the People’s Choice “Best of Show.” He has earned numerous top awards and honors and high-profile artistic recognition as well as critical and commercial success for his lively, challenging compositions.