Richard Loffler grew up on the wide-open Saskatchewan prairies in central Canada. He became a committed outdoorsman as a teenager, absorbing the wonders of the natural world around him. Two local zoos at Saskatoon and Moose Jaw and another larger zoo in Calgary, Alberta, became a retreat for observing animals in close quarters. Loffler began working at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Regina in 1978; it was a haven to study the beautifully prepared natural history dioramas. "I have been given nature’s theatre to access freely. I find it a necessary tool in the formation of the idea and the finished work. Working from life affords me controlled confidence. No questions go unanswered. " Loffler is a dedicated family man and an avid outdoorsman. He juggles his time between his fieldwork, his studio work and the Montana foundries where he chases some of the castings and oversees the patinas and completed works. Loffler was accepted into membership with the Society of Animal Artists and the National Sculpture Society, both in New York, in 1989. He continues to show with the Prix de West Invitational Exhibition, where he was chosen for the Robert Lougheed award in 2002 and the James Earle Fraser Sculpture Award in 2012. He completed a 65' heroic sculpture called "The Buffalo Trail", which is now placed in front of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming. He has also created a 1 1/4 life-sized monumental sculpture called "Outlaw", a bounty rodeo bull owned by the Calgary Stampede Ranch, for downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Furthermore, Loffler has taught sculpture classes at the Scottsdale Artists School in Scottsdale, Arizona for 10 years. "Art is an expression of our innermost thoughts, perceptions and aspirations. It is an extension of society, the happening of our era and the progress of our time. When balanced with truth, knowledge and sensitivity, art holds the virtuous vision of the past, an account of the present and a dream for tomorrow." - Richard Loffler