Aaron Connelly
In 1971, at the age of 14, Aaron Connelly’s dad started a taxidermy business in Western Pennsylvania. Since that time the study of anatomy has been at the foundation of his life’s work, first as a taxidermist and now as a sculptor. Aaron and his wife, Denise, moved to Cody, Wyoming in 2001. Living here in the Rocky Mountains, along with many trips they have made through the Canadian Northwest and Alaska, he’s had the opportunity to observe, collect and study virtually all species of North American Big Game. He began sculpting in the early 80’s, and has been blessed, and enabled, to carve out a living as an artist in the pursute of God. In January of 2011, Aaron established his company, Aaron Connelly Sculptor, LLC. Since that time, all of the forms that he’s modeled are sold exclusively through Head Quarters Taxidermy Supply. His limited edition bronzes are sold exclusively through Aaron Connelly Sculptor, LLC.
He would like to state for the record that, he is what he is, first as a man, second as a husband, and third as a sculptor, buy the grace, mercy and compassion of God, Jesus Christ the Lord. To know and to understand one’s own disobedient (sinful) human nature, to acknowledge it and confess it, asking God for his mercy upon you is beyond compare to anything a natural man can aspire to be, or to ever accomplish in this life. Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 says this; “I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the
beginning to the end.” As a sculptor, I now desire to give serious attention in my career, to producing wildlife sculpture in bronze, In so doing I found myself once again pondering the question, what is art And, why am I doing this Dante is quoted as saying; “Art, as far as it is able, follows nature, as a pupil imitates his master; thus your art must be, as it were, God’s grandchild”. With this he wholeheartedly agree! Websters Dictionary simply defines it as; “The production, expression, or realm of what is beautiful.” As God continues to conform Aaron to the image of his Son, he is therefore, as an artist, compelled to immerse himself in the study of God’s creation, ever learning, ever gaining knowledge and understanding, therefore ever turning to God for truth as long as he lives. For therein does the artist have something definitive to compare or judge their efforts against. For Aaron as a sculptor, beauty and truth is revealed and defined in the animal kingdom and the wild, untamed areas of wilderness that they live in. God’s creation has been his inspiration through out his life. The most rugged and remote wilderness areas of North America and Canada have been his classrooms. All of the creation, from the animals to the habitats in which they live, have been his subjects. The Holy Ghost, Christ in him is his teacher. The observations made, the experiences lived, are what he draws from in creating his tributes in bronze. The years spent collecting specimens, meticulously recording measurements, making carcass casts for 3-dimensional references, cleaning skeletons and putting them back together, and then sculpting animal forms for Taxidermy supply companies, 
has given him a solid foundation. This information, knowledge, and the understanding of animal anatomy, from first hand experiences, is a must for any sculptor. Aaron now pursues the challenge of accomplishing something worthwhile in the realm of the accepted fine art of Bronze sculpture. Specifically, the attempt to capture the essence of the spirit, shape and form of the big game animals of North America in bronze. In so doing, he hopes to capture the viewers attention and thus produce a response of their senses to praise God for the beauty of his creation. To draw them for that moment from their daily existence of cities and suburbs to that which is primal and raw, perhaps even a bit uncomfortable and unknown, yet exciting and enticing, compelling the viewer for a moment to leave behind the comforts of a world to which, we all have become a slave to.
He shall not be a fool in thinking more highly of himself in this endeavor than that which he knows that he is, a sinful man saved by the grace of God. For, however close he may come to
capturing the spirit, shape and form of a particular animal in bronze, he cannot ever give it to breath, to move and to have life. He would label himself as a “realist” and thank God for it. Sadly, in his opinion, as far as art goes, we live in a day of modernisim, the abstract, and the whimsical that dominates the “art world”.
Sculptors, whose works he’s admired and has respect of, which have also had an influence upon him are; Antoine Louis Bayre, Edouard Lanteri, Alexander Phimister Proctor, Carl Ethan Akeley, Robert Rockwell, Louis Paul Jonas, Kent Ullberg, and his good friends Forest Hart and Joe Kish. These are men that he considers to be “realist’s”, who held in highest regard the standards set forth by God. To those who have the courage to pursue that which God has made beautiful in his time, Aaron salutes you, and encourage you to continue in it.
