George Northup

After growing up in Minnesota, George Northup worked as a pharmaceutical salesman in Chicago. He and his wife moved to Jackson, Wyoming, in the fall of 1967 in order to raise their family and remain there today. After arriving in Jackson, Northup worked various jobs, such as river rafting guide, plumber, bar and restaurant manager, building contractor, ski instructor, and cook, in order to pay bills. As a rafting guide on the Snake River, he came into contact with several wildlife artists, which fostered an interest in art he had had since childhood. In 1970, Northup took a local fine art casting class offered by Joe Shellenberger, working as the artist's assistant as he did not have money for tuition. Since then, he has continued to create sculptural works of animals and people.

He was encouraged early on by artists such as John Clymer, Conrad Schwiering, and Grant Hagen and is influenced by contemporary artists Ken Bunn, George Carlson, and Bob Kuhn. Northup's work can be found in museum, corporate, and private collections throughout the world. He spends several weeks each year traveling and researching wildlife and is an active member of Trout Unlimited and the Ruffed Grouse Society.

"The best way for me to recharge my battery as a sculptor is to put myself in an environment where there are no other influences but the environment itself. When I come back in the studio with a fresh idea, I may work eighteen to twenty hours straight without fatigue to put together the mass. You don't get tired when a project is exhilarating."

(Quote source: Wilkinson, Todd. "Natural Castings: The Sporting Sculpture of George Northup," Wildlife Art News (September/October 1992): 52-57).