
Artist's Biography
b. 1954
Ken Rowe was born in 1954 and raised in Arizona. As a young boy he was known to express himself through various art mediums, such as drawing, painting and sculpting. An avid outdoorsman, Ken has devoted his life to combining his vocation with his avocation through a career in wildlife art.
An early interest in taxidermy led to his work in wildlife sculpture, and he and his wife opened a commercial studio where he created life- sized animal mannequins. Taxidermists bought these and draped the skins over them.
At the age of 26, Ken opened his own wildlife art studio where, as a taxidermist, he sculpted life-sized models. Over the past 15 years Ken has submerged himself in a business that demands an intense study of anatomy, composition and wildlife physiology. Ken believes that this in-depth knowledge is an extremely important quality of a wildlife artist.
Ken has expanded his talents into the creation of bronze sculpture. These bronzes depict Ken’s love and appreciation for wildlife along with the legendary cowboys, bucking broncos and historic Native Americans of the southwest.
“To me, art is much more than finite detail. It is accuracy of the subject, story lines and the culmination of strength, texture and balance. In the visual sense, when one views my art, he or she should be able to feel the rugged beauty of the southwest and the vitality and diversity of its people.”
He did his first sculpture in the late 1980s, although he had been painting for many years, having been encouraged by his mother but not showing much skill in that medium.
He only sculpts animals that are in their natural environment because their muscles and bodies are better formed, and he likes to convey their personalities. He works from his studio in Sedona, Arizona, and does mountain biking for exercise.