Jim Eppler takes the world around us and recreates it for our participation. He has been praised for his lifelike recreations and his gentle interpretations. It is Eppler’s respect and appreciation for nature that allow his art to flow so freely. Eppler developed this appreciation for nature at a young age. As a small child growing up in El Paso, he would spend many hours outdoors, observing animals to sketch and paint. After moving to Lubbock, Texas, he took his first art class in high school. Eppler continued his official studies at Texas Tech University, earning a BFA in Studio Art. Eppler has never limited his studies to the classroom. He has always been a keen observer of nature and has spent many hours capturing on film every aspect of nature. When researching particular species, Eppler moves quietly into the world of wildlife. He watches, listens, learns and captures on film the remarkable dimensions of wildlife and their habitats. "My photos reveal their form and habits, but their gift to my soul is what inspires me to paint and sculpt." In his bronzes, it is the details of movement that are subtly emphasized. As accomplished as Eppler is in wildlife art, he does not limit himself to that realm. He is also an accomplished portrait artist and skilled musician. Eppler brings the power, beauty, harshness and magnetic attraction of nature to both his paintings and bronzes. Eppler creates from the experience of his lifelong enchantment with wildlife and his innate gift for the use of color and form. A seasoned artist who readily admits a romance with "the play of light and shadow, the way paint builds on canvas," he is equally captivated by gestures and textures that lend themselves to the three-dimensional aspect of bronze. Bringing his skill as a colorist to his sculpture, Eppler hand-finishes each bronze in his limited editions. Using patina and paint, his intricate knowledge of his subject matter is expressed with distinctive markings unique to each species.