About Victoria

Victoria has been creating one of a kind, original sculptures from the earth’s oldest living organism, bristlecone pine since 1991. She’s an award winning sculptor with and member of the the Society of Animal Artists, Artists for Conservation, the National Sculpture Society, and American Women Artists. Victoria is the only fine artist working in the ancient bristlecone pine medium and is accomplished too, in rare burl wood one of a kind creations, bronze editions and stone.

It is with wildlife subjects and nature where she truly connects in life with the harmonic convergence of animals, birds and the great outdoors. Her work in wildlife sculpture and bristlecone pine is an endless journey of refinement and perfection. Victoria’s creative and interpretive style doesn’t compromise for time or detail and fully embodies a love, respect and dedication to wildlife and bristlecone pine preservation.

About Bristlecone Pine

Bristlecone pine trees are the oldest living inhabitants on the earth and many of these trees living today were seedlings when the great pyramids were being constructed and mature at the time of Christ. The oldest known living specimen, “The Methuselah Tree” is located in California’s White Mountains and is over 4,700 years old.

The bristlecone pines are found at timberline in the mountains at elevations between 7,500 – 12,000’ and are sparsely found in only (6) western states; Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California. These ancient national treasures don’t grow very tall, only 60’ at the most but usually much less and grow less than 1” in trunk girth per century.

There is a very important historical fact and function provided to us by the bristlecone pines. They are known as “the trees that rewrote history” because they’ve provided wood with a tree-ring chronology spanning 10,000 years, which allowed the carbon-14 dating technique to be accurately calibrated.

Victoria’s Process

The first step for Victoria in creating an original one of a kind bristlecone pine sculpture is to collect and harvest the wood specimens. The harvesting process is important in that she collects bristlecone pine only from private sources and it must not be considered alive. A strict and “dead only” bristlecone pine collection process is the only acceptable rule for harvesting. Bristlecone pine isn’t available for purchase at lumber yards, retail stores or other known specialty outlets.

Here in Colorado, Victoria and her husband climb as high as 10,000 -12,000’ in elevation to locate the available wood which typically ranges in age up to 1,500 years old. It is here on the mountain where mother nature with her wind whipped sand and ice have sculpted the wood into gnarled and twisted organic elements. The sandblasting winds and lightning strikes have created all manner of forms and color of bristlecone. It is important for Victoria to procure sculptural pieces of bristlecone which have been lightning struck and enhanced naturally with sienna, grey and copper brown patinas so as to provide the overall finished sculptural result.

Once the bristlecone pine has been collected in the mountains, the wood is returned to her studio in Parker, Colorado where the wood under goes a selection and design process prior to her sculpting the bristlecone with chisels, specialty power tools and sanding implements. Mother nature has done an exquisite job of preparing the sculptural pallet for Victoria to bring her wildlife and bird subjects to life from the natural organic elements.

Numerous weeks, months and in some cases years are spent by Victoria creating her one of a kind masterpieces for sale and purchase at her studio and gallery. Purchasing a one of a kind bristlecone pine sculpture by Victoria puts the buyer in a unique class of selective collectors for the truly rare and fine art sculptures. In the end, Victoria’s purpose in the bristlecone pine medium is to create a defining connection with her wildlife subjects with the goal to create a respectful tribute to her subjects and to see them preserved in the natural world. View Victoria’s work live and in person here at her studio and gallery located in Parker, Colorado.