Steve Tyree

Steve was born in Modesto California. When he was three, his Dad moved his family out to Guam and the Hawaiian Islands where his father began his career as a free-lance artist. Steve grew up in the islands over 9 years where he watched his dad develop his art. Steve and his siblings enjoyed many art forms over the years; drawing, painting, carving, taxidermy, model building were some of the many.
Steve’s love for wildlife took him to Alaska and Florida where he began filming birds. He moved to Oregon where he became interested in welding steel sculptures of wildlife. He developed his style and methods over the years to where he fabricates each sculpture from bronze sheet metal and rod. They begin with models of clay, wire or Styrofoam. Then paper patterns are taken from the models and traced onto bronze sheets and cut out. He bends and hammers the bronze over special anvils he has made, and welds these pieces together. After hammering in details he’ll sometimes grind and patina the sculpture leaving a more natural surface.
Steve has been selling wildlife sculptures through galleries, shows and privately since 1974. His work varies in size from small humming birds to large big game animals, herons and sea birds. His work has been sold nationally and internationally.

I would like my work to encourage interest and love of wildlife, but would like my work to be artistic and pleasing as well as to portray the grace and strength of the animal.
I see wildlife as an art form. My inspiration comes from my love of the grace and beauty of wildlife and its may other characteristics that remind me of ourselves. Also I’m fascinated with metal and welding and the many processes of bending and shaping. I’m interested in sharing new methods I’ve come up with in fabricating bronze and steel metal work. I would like my work to convey a story or relationship in nature.