Stefan Savides is "The Birdman." His life is simply about birds and art. He is one of the blessed few who have never worked a day that he was not recreating birds in one form or another. This multitalented artist, from a young age, has completely supported himself through his life with taxidermy, painting, carving, and sculpting of birds.

Stefan’s early fascinations with the avian world lead him to learn taxidermy at the young age of twelve. He was a natural! By age sixteen he was instructing adults in a night school setting and went on to establish a thriving career in taxidermy by age eighteen. His passion and dedication gained him a respected international reputation in avian taxidermy.

“While it was my fifty plus years of avian taxidermy that fine-tuned my eye for bird anatomy, it was my art sense that compelled me to sculpt in a style that omitted the realistic detail, a factor which is paramount in a mounted bird. As I embarked on my sculpture career, I vowed neverto create “bronze taxidermy”!”

Sculpting in bronze is a natural progression for Stefan, as it is an avenue which provides him an opportunity to express his art and knowledge of avian anatomy. Fifty years of intense study of birds coupled with a flair for simplistic, elegant design equates to renderings that capture the essence of his subjects in tasteful clean works of art. His work is to the point, without the distraction of overbearing detail. He has made birds his life and his work simply speaks of it!

Selected Exhibitions

• Society of Animal Artists “A Blessing Of Animals” St Johns Devine Cathedral, New York, NY June 2017
• Vacaville Art League Gallery -Vacaville CA Sept 2016
• Society of Animal Artists 56th Annual Awards Exhibition September 2016
• Texas Tech University Museum show, Lubbock, TX April 2016
• Society of Animal Artists “Texas Theme” Juried Show, RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX June 2016
• Briscoe Western Art Museum, “Night of Artists” San Antonio, TX 2015-2016
• Sausalito Art Festival, Sausalito, CA 2014-2016
• Favell Museum, Invitational Art Show and Sale, Klamath Falls, OR 2013-2016
• National Sculpture Society 82nd Annual Awards exhibition, Brookgreen Gardens, SC August 2015
• National Sculpture Society "All Creatures Great and Small" Exhibition, Naples Botanical Garden, Naples, FL 2015
• South Eastern Wildlife Exposition – Charleston, SC 2009-2015
• Society of Animal Artists 55th Annual Exhibition, Roger Tory Peterson Institute
• National Sculpture Society 81st Annual Awards Exhibition Brookgreen Gardens SC August–November 2014
• 62nd Annual Sausalito Art Festival, August 30th to September 1st, 2014
• Beretta Gallery, Madison Ave, New York, NY—May 2014
• Sculpture in the Park - Loveland, CO  2009, 2011-2014
• Birds in Art, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI; Heritage Center State Historical Society of North Dakota Bismarck, ND; Steamboat Art Museum Steamboat Springs, CO; Montshire Museum of Science-Norwich, VT; R.W. Norton Art Gallery- Shreveport, LA; Michelson Museum of Art, Marshall, TX – 2006, 2008, 2013
• Ross Ragland Theater Taste of Klamath Art show –May 2012
• National Sculpture Society 79th Annual Exhibition- Brookgreen Gardens SC August 2012
• Society Of Animal Artists 53rd and 52nd Annual Exhibition 2011-2012
• Ross Ragland Theater – Klamath Falls, OR 2011
• Lindsey Wildlife Museum – Walnut Creek, CA 2010
• Wild Wings Fall Art Festival – Lake City, MN 2010
• Easton Waterfowl Festival – Easton, MD 2010
• National Sculpture Society - 77th annual exhibition 2010       
• Wild Arts Festival Audubon Society – Portland, OR 2009-2010
• Sculpture in the South - Summerville, SC 2008-2010
• Sculpture In Savannah - Savannah, GA 2008-2010
• Sagebrush Rendezvous – Klamath Falls, OR 2005-2010
• Grants Pass Museum of Art – Grants Pass, OR 2009
• Vacaville Art League – Vacaville, CA 2008
• Favell Museum – Klamath Falls, OR 2008
Selected Press
• Sporting Classics – Jan/Feb “Art and ETC.” 2012, 2014  
• Western Art Collector - Art and the Animal September 2012
• Western Art and Architecture – feature article The Bird Man–Feb/March 2012
• Linkville Monthly– September 2006
• “Breakthrough Magazine”, 12 authored art critique articles
• “Studio North”, authored

Awards
• Society of Animal Artists, The Leonard Meiselman Memorial Award for Realistic Sculpture, Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, Oradell, NJ Oct 2012
• National Sculpture Society’s Polich Tallix Foundry Prize, Brookgreen Gardens, Pawley’s Island SC Oct 2012
• Best of show- Ross Ragland Theater Taste of Klamath Art show, OR May 2012
• Artists Choice Best Sculpture, Wild Wings Show, Lake City, MN 2008
• Carl Ackley Gold Medal Master of Masters – World Taxidermy Championship 1999
• Taxidermist of the Year – National Taxidermy Association’s National Convention, Waco TX 1994
• Best of Show Pacific Flyway Decoy Association Gunning Shorebirds – Sacramento, CA
Affiliations
• Society of Animal Artists, signature member
• National Sculpture Society, elected member
Judging Assignments
• World Taxidermy Championships, 1991-2013
• New Zealand Taxidermy Association, Taupo, New Zealand Sept 2012
• British Columbia Taxidermy Artistry Association – Kamloops, BC 2006
• Scandinavian Taxidermy Championships – Oslo, Norway 2005
• Canadian International Taxidermy Championships – Calgary, Canada 2002
• Canadian International Taxidermy Championships – Regina, Saskatchewan 2000
• PFDA Classic Wildlife Art Festival – Sacramento, CA  1985-2000  
• International Guild of Taxidermists – Madison WI 1997
• California Open Wildlife Art Festival – San Diego, CA  1990-1991
Public Installations
• Sugarman’s Corner Park, Klamath Falls, OR 2016
• Riverlands Wetlands – St. Louis, MO 2011
• San Luis National Wildlife Refuge – Los Banos, CA 2011
• City of Klamath Falls – Klamath Falls, OR 2008
• Tule lake National Wildlife Refuge – Tulelake, CA  2007
• Annahoe island Visitor Center – Nixon, NV 2007
• Sky Lakes Medical Center – Klamath Falls, OR  2007