David H. Turner (Amer., b. 1961), bighorn sheep ram with his face upturned to the sun, artist-cast bronze sculpture, freestanding, with incised signature, edition number 26/80, and date, 1997

height 6.5 in. x width 12.5 in. x depth 6 in. 

Provenance: Property from a home in Fairhope, Alabama

David Turner is a Virginia wildlife sculptor whose work is rooted in a lifelong familiarity with the animals and landscapes of the Eastern Shore, where he grew up hunting and fishing in remote coastal environments. He learned sculpture from his father, William Turner, himself a sculptor who financed his dental education through his artwork, and was further inspired by his high school art teacher, Jack Johnson. Turner developed a detailed, naturalistic approach to wildlife sculpture informed by direct observation and his intimate knowledge of the animals he depicts, working alongside his father through their family sculpture business, Turner Sculptures, which includes an on-site foundry. His work has been commissioned and collected by major institutions, including the Chicago Botanic Garden, which holds a group of 15 bronze geese, and the College of William & Mary, his alma mater, which holds three of his sculptures. He was the featured sculptor at the 1999 Southwestern Wildlife Expo in Charleston, South Carolina, and two of his works were commissioned for the MacArthur Center in Norfolk, Virginia, by developer A. Alfred Taubman.