Meet the Equine Artist

Michael Sterling Bryant, Wildlife Artist

Michael Bryant, wildlife artist.  Easier said than done!  Born in Oregon, and raised into the construction business, I lived that life for 17 years, missing that connection between life and self. Married, and with a small family started, I found myself out of work in 1996. Broke, and with my brother’s wedding coming, I was compelled to make something with my own hands; all new to me.  My first piece, the wedding present for my brother, was a sculptural lamp.  Everybody loved it. I loved it. So I pursued my new passion; natural shapes made into fine rustic furnishings. It was great walking the vast High Desert and finding these wonderful pieces already shaped by their environment, but still, it wasn’t that creative level I yearned for.

Sometime in the year 2000, I decided to carve an abstract wildlife shape out of a root wad… it had great lines, but it was missing definition. After gathering information about tools from a local carver, I was on my way, armed with  new tools, mentors (Mom and Dad, my friend Leigh) and critics (my wife and kids).

My first piece was to be a family of bobcats carved from a beautiful, large redwood burl. Mentor Leigh said “Finish all your work to the end.”, so I did, and that huge $2,000 burl was transformed into a tiny 12” tall piece of wood that resembled a kitten. But I saw it through, and that made the difference.

The uniqueness that my life now offers is a cumulative effort of skill, love and passion, birds, mammals, fish, and wood.  These things all interact in an all-organic form. Their beauty lies within their lines of motion.  From a raw log, I start with an idea, a feeling. I go with my intuition and the wood talks to me.  The curve of a crane’s neck, the attitude of a horse’s body, these are all things that happen when my work and I are on the same plane. And when that happens, it seems effortless, like I’m in open space with the creatures as they live.  It’s as if I am a part of their world for a moment in time.

We’re a family of five now, and working in my shop at home has its great advantages:  numerous bus stop commutes with the kids, interactions with them, and more play time because I’m home now. My parents live close by. Both accomplished artists, one a painter, the other a sculptor, they are my encouragement, and my friend Leigh continues to share his insights with critiques of my work. But most of all, I am so grateful for the love and support of my wife and children.  Life is good.