Meet this Saskatchewan sculptor who looks to nature for artistic inspiration
Tucked away in a small valley west of Regina, Rich Loffler works to combine nature and art is his latest sculpture.
“I sculpt from life so that I can get life,” the artist told CTV News. “I want, when people look at my work, to say ‘I thought it moved.’”
Ever since he was a young boy, Loffler loved nature so much that he spent most of his days outdoors and eventually recreating the natural habitat at his job at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Regina.
“I did a lot of the dinosaurs there that are still on display,” he explained. “I just started doing other bigger animals like elk and moose.”
Loffler’s talent for capturing life led him to work on a unique international project, the biggest bronze sculpture he’s tackled so far.
The U.S. National Museum of Wildlife Art commissioned him to sculpt what is called the “Buffalo Trail” to be placed near the Jackson, Wyoming museum.
It was completed in 2012.
“Before you go up the road into the museum, the 67 foot long buffalo trail, one and a half life size, is sitting beside the highway,” Loffler explained.
Sculpting something of that magnitude involves many steps. Loffler started with a miniature version. Once satisfied, a mold is made similar to a hollow chocolate Easter Bunny.
(Gareth Dillistone/CTV News)
Some math is involved to enlarge the model and make it the size of the final work.
At the final stage the sculpture is dozens of pieces which are then bronzed and like a large 3D puzzle welded together and moved to its permanent location.
Another creation by Rich Loffler. (Gareth Dillistone/CTV News)
The project took five years from beginning to end.
“For a Canadian kid to go down and put something of that magnitude in front of a federally recognized museum – I mean it’s phenomenal,” Loffler remarked.
Loffler’s vision of the buffalo project is drawn directly from his own vision of history, paying tribute to the animals and Indigenous people’s ties to the land. With scenes of buffalo roaming the plains are embedded in his mind.
“I wish I could just pop back into the middle of a prairie and see a buffalo herd running with either wolves chasing it or natives running it to a pound,” he said.
“I mean I live in the past. I do. I live 150 years ago with my work because I sculpt the same way they did back then.”
A passion for history brought to life through his mind, his hands, and a higher power.
“Oh I believe that God put me here for this purpose and this reason,” he said. “I'm trying to do the best I can and make him make him proud.”
When it comes to Loffler’s work in Regina. Much of it is in private collections. However, some can be viewed at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in the faces and animals of some exhibits.
Unlike Wyoming, his work is not on display in a big way. At least not yet.
The Buffalo Trail could one day be situated on Treaty 4 land as the forms to build it still exist.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
U.K. prime minister calls national election for July 4
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a national election on Wednesday, naming July 4 as the date for a vote his governing Conservatives are widely expected to lose to the opposition Labour Party after 14 years in power.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.
Fish oil supplements may raise risk of stroke, heart issues, study suggests
As an excellent source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, daily fish oil supplements are a popular way to keep the risk of cardiovascular disease at bay.
Private island on Nova Scotia's South Shore listed for $15.8M
A private island on Nova Scotia’s South Shore has been listed for sale with a $11.5-million USD price tag.
DEVELOPING Blood vial delivery prompts evacuation of Republican headquarters in Washington
The headquarters of the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C., was briefly evacuated on Wednesday morning after a suspicious package containing two vials of blood was delivered to the building, the police said.
'Happy tears' of victim's sister after prison attack on serial killer Robert Pickton
Cynthia Cardinal said she was 'overwhelmed' with happiness when she received a text message on Monday with the news that serial killer Robert Pickton, who murdered her sister, was attacked in prison. She called it 'karma.'
Montreal photographer captures dramatic Canada goose vs. fox fight on video
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
'On the edge of failing': Most of Canada gets a 'D' on poverty report cards
Poverty and food insecurity have worsened in most of Canada in the past year and most provincial governments aren't doing enough to address the problem, according to a just-released series of report cards.
World's most expensive feather sells at New Zealand auction
A feather from a long-extinct New Zealand bird has set a record after selling for $46,521 NZD (about US$28,400), the auction house handling the sale has said.