Wildlife Figurines |
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 | The variety of life in nature can be compared to a vast library of unread books, and the plundering of nature is comparable to the random discarding of whole volumes without having opened them, and learned from them.- Peter Mathiessen
Wildlife art could be said, to be man’s first expression of his creative side. By far, the earliest examples of artwork in almost any culture, comprise images of animals that were part of daily life for those who painted them on the walls of caves, or carved them into rocks.
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 Sea Otter Figurine
- Amazing detail
- Painted resin
- 8 x 5.5 x 3.75 inches
|  Sea Otters Resting
- Nature figurine
- Painted resin
- 9.5 x 7.5 x 3.25 inches
|  Chipmunks Figurine
- Winsome characters
- Painted resin
- 6.25 x 6.25 x 6 inches
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 Running Buffaloes Figurine
- Striking and powerful
- Resin, wood base
- 7 x 5 x 8 inches
|  Running Deer Figurine
- Exquisitely sculpted
- Resin, wood base
- 8 x 6 x 7 inches
|  Raccoons Figurine
- Nature's whimsy
- Resin, wood base
- 6 x 4 x 4 inches
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 Deer and Fawn Figurine
- Undefinable appeal
- Resin, wood base
- Figures: 4 x 3 x 4 inches
|  Whitetail Deer Sculpture
- Indian summer theme
- Handcast, handpainted
- 11 x 7 1/2 x 9 ¼ inches
|  Walking Cougar
- Amazing detail
- Cold cast resin
- 13.5 x 13 inches
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 Whitetail Deer Encounter
- Wildlife art
- Painted resin
- 13 x 5 x 6 inches
|  Whitetail Deer Figurine
- Incredible detail
- Hand cast, hand painted
- 11 x 7 x 9 inches
|  Mule Deer Bust
- Outstanding craftsmanship
- Handpainted resin
- 13 x 11 x 18 inches.
More Gray Rock Collection...
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 Manatee Plate
- Incredible detailing
- 6.5 inches diameter
More Gray Rock Collection...
|  Penguin Figurine
- Charming sculpture
- Handpainted sculpture
- 8 x 6 x 7 inches
More Gray Rock Collection...
|  Blue Shark Figurine
- Wonderfully Detailed
- 16 Inches Long
More Fish Figurines...
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 Hippo Figurine
- Lifelike Recreation
- 9 Inches Long
- Painted Resin
|  Restful Harvest Mouse Figurine
- Finely detailed
- Painted resin
- 6 x 4 x 2.5 inches.
|  Rattlesnake Figurine
- Fantastic craftsmanship
- Painted resin
- 3 x 3 x 3 inches
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 Gertrude Snail Figurine
- Decorative accent
- Natural finish concrete
- 5.75 x 3.25 x 3.24 inches
|  Gordy Groundhog Figurine
- Adorable pose
- Natural finish concrete
- 4.5 x 6.5 x 4 inches.
|  Hazel Hedgehog Figurine
- Adorable design
- Natural finish concrete
- 4.5 x 6 x 5 inches
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 Whitetail Deer Sculpture
- Grace in motion
- Handpainted resin, wood
- 8 ½ x 6 ½ x 17 inches long
|  Buffalo Couple Figurine
- Distincitive wildlife figurine
- Painted resin. Wood base
- 9.5 x 8 x 7 inches.
|  Mountain Ram Figurine
- Gray Rock Collection
- Painted Resin
- 10 Inches Long
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 Red Fox Figurine
- Gray Rock Collection
- Painted Resin
- 7 Inches Long
|  Mud Rhino Figurine
- Gray Rock Collection
- Painted Resin
- 9 Inches Long
|  Buffalo Trio Figurine
- Magnificent craftsmanship
- Painted resin. Wood base
- 10 x 8 x 8 inches
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 Raccoon Figurine
- Gray Rock Collection
- Handpainted Resin
- 7 Inches Tall
More Gray Rock Collection...
|  Whitetailed Deer Figurine
- Lifelike Detailing
- Gray Rock Collection
- 11 Inches x 6 Inches x 13 1/2 Inches
More Gray Rock Collection...
|  Standing Buffalo Figurine
- Gray Rock Collection
- Painted Resin
- Wooden Base
- 8 Inches Long
More Gray Rock Collection...
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 Mountain Goats Figurine
- Gray Rock Collection
- Painted Resin
- 17 Inches Long
More Gray Rock Collection...
|  Manatee Family Figurine
- Gray Rock Collection
- Painted Resin
- 6 1/2 Inches Tall
More Gray Rock Collection...
|  Hazel Hedgehog Figurine
- Adorable design
- Natural finish concrete
- 4.5 x 6 x 5 inches
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 Sheep Set
- Set of 6
- 3 Inches Tall Each
- Handpainted Resin
|  Rhino Figurine Set
- Set of 6
- 4 Inches Long Each
- Handpainted Resin
|  Seal and Sea Lions on Ice
- 4 1/2 Inches Tall
- Handpainted Resin
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 Bronze Bighorn Sheep Figurine
- Wonderfully Made
- 7 1/2 Inches Tall
- Made of Handpainted Cold Cast Resin
|  Bronze Deer Figurine
- Wonderfully Detailed
- 7 1/2 Inches Tall
- Made of Handpainted Cold Cast Resin
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Wildlife Figurines
In the beginning of even the most primitive societies, animals were killed for food, and a hunter’s pride in his bounty, didn’t preclude his honoring the creatures of the wild for their gifts. Some cultures developed animal worship, where various members of the local wildlife took on magical or mystical characteristics and powers. At one time or another, birds, wolves, eagles, and even cats, have been worshipped as gods.
As man became “civilized”, wild animals figured less in their daily needs for things such as shelter, food and clothing. With progress came cloth, domestication and the raising of animals on farms, and the skills/tools to build homes from wood instead of skins and poles. There was still a sense of value in the land, and the creatures who inhabited it.
But as civilization rocketed forward into the industrial era, and on into today’s technological revolution, man’s expansion for new cities, bigger cities, and more space to satisfy the growth of industry and housing, drove wildlife back into other habitats, and sometimes into extinction.
Fortunately, man’s sense of oneness with nature, and his artistic skills remained, and as a result, society is blessed to have fine wildlife art in a number of mediums, that dates back centuries.
Right around the time of the Revolutionary War, English ex-patriot George Abbot was making an exceptionally good living in Virginia and the Georgia colonies with his renditions of the native American wildlife. Few samples however, remained in America. They were exported to England, often accompanied by live specimens of the animal he portrayed.
Another early wildlife artist’s reputation was actually made on those specimens. Sarah Stone was employed by the eccentric Sir Ashton Lever, who collected just about anything that flew, galloped, walked or crawled. She was assigned the task of illustrating the many creatures he had acquired. When Sir Lever died in 1806, his collection was so massive, it took 65 days to auction, and its prize specimens were scattered to the four corners of the Earth. Only Sarah’s book of illustrations remained intact.
Abbot would contribute even further to Americans’ appreciation of wildlife, when he took Alexander Wilson under his artistic wing. The man who went on to become the Father of American Ornithology, would in turn, mentor John James Audobon, whose wildlife books overshadowed the early and valuable contributions of artists who are now almost totally obscured by history.
Starting almost as early as the first paintings, man began producing wildlife figurines, first, in primitive renderings carved from animal bones, and when tools came along, other materials such as marble and wood. As crafts were developed, nature and wildlife became favorite themes in clay and pottery figures, bronze castings, hand-painted porcelain, and the very exquisite crystal wildlife figurines, all so detailed that they seem ready to leap or fly off your hand. In groups or singly, these entrancing figures add a touch of the wild to any room, whether you choose an American-crafted deer in mid-flight, or the delicately carved gazelle from Africa.
Wildlife Odds and Ends
- Hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly backwards
- The hearts and blood vessels of bats have adapted to their upside down life, in order not to overload the brain with blood
- Only female reindeer have antlers in winter, which calls into question, the sex of Santa’s sleigh team
- Among the woodcock’s many oddities, is that the small bird’s eyes are set far back on a head that is almost upside down in the way it sits on the short neck. But its brain, really is upside down inside the skull.
- The rhinoceros’ name was derived from the Greek root word “rhino” for nose, since their horn was so large, people thought of them as nosy.
- Forget the tomato juice when the skunk sprays your dog. Use a bath of one quart 2% hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda, and one teaspoon of dish soap.
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