Chester Fields Biography

 

Chester Fields has mastered the design and creation of bronze eagle sculptures. His attention to fine art and detail has captured the attention of private collectors and businesses around the globe and has set him in an elite group of artists who find success in this challenging field. One reason behind Chester Fields' success is his passion for wildlife art which he expresses through his bronze eagle statues and wildlife art paintings. Born in 1945, he soon discovered his desire to become an artist at five years of age when he started observing and drawing nature. Wide-open landscapes in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia throughout his youth provided him with inspirational wildlife each time he stepped out his front door. A professional wildlife artist for over 35 years, Chester Fields has spent 25 years specializing in sculpting eagle statues. A fine artist by trade, Chester Fields received formal fine art training, exceeding expectations with his drawings, oil paintings and acrylic paintings. Chester Fields began his professional career as a painter and draftsman. As a draftsman, he spent two years in the military stationed in Germany working for the Adjutant General at USAREUR Headquarters, at which time he was able to travel throughout Europe during his leave and study the fine art of the masters firsthand, including the esteemed inspirers in history, Leonardo da Vinci, Rafael, and Michelangelo. Observing the oil paintings, monuments, and garden statues with an inquisitive eye, Chester Fields kept note of his favorite fine art techniques, and incorporated those into his wildlife art work. The oil paintings left a lasting impression on the yound wildlife artist. After serving in the military, Chester Fields' exceptional portfolio landed him a position at American Sign and Indicator, winning out over 400 other candidates. After four years of creating outstanding art work—a theme consistent with Chester Fields - he launched his independent career as a painter and added many Native American art and wildlife art compositions to his repertoire. A turning point in Chester Fields' career came with his first sculpture, Splashdown, in 1984 depicting an eagle catching a fish. Presently a sold-out edition with only a few monuments remaining, Splashdown continues to be a favorite eagle statue composition. Successfully transitioning from painting to sculpting, and being successful at both, is rare - as these disciplines are quite different in nature. With sculpture, Chester Fields realized his ability to bring the eagles on his canvases to life in three-dimensional form. Chester Fields' wildlife art work is displayed in fine art galleries throughout the United States and Singapore. He has received formal awards and major exhibitions for his fine art and has a respectable record of corporate and private collectors, including Harley Davidson, Chevron Corporation, Jepson Corporation, the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia, the Sultan of Brunei, Kristy Yamaguchi, and August A. Busch III. Chester Fields' fine art is purchased and displayed outside as garden statues in front of homes and golf courses and inside collectors' businesses and homes on pedestals or suspended from above. No matter what the collectors' preferences are, it is no doubt that Chester Fields' eagle sculptures and wildlife art are a wonderful addition to any environment. In addition to his collection of wildlife statues, Chester Fields' wildlife art paintings and prints are available for purchase. His Native American paintings were commissioned and can only be viewed in a complete book of art work. Please contact Chester Fields, if you are interested in one of his wildlife art paintings, sculptures, or monuments. Each piece of art work comes with an authentic proof of purchase and instructions how to best care for your Chester Fields fine art. Please take time to enjoy Chester's fine art prints which include: leopard paintings, tiger paintings, deer paintings, pheasant paintings and other wildlife art paintings. Chester Fields is releasing a collection of his wildlife art paintings in fine art prints. These fine art prints will be printed in giclee on canvas. Don't miss this oportunity to get your own fine art print from Chester Fields.

Since Chester began creating his magnificent bronze sculptures his has not painted for twenty years. His love for bronze sculpture and the eagle has expressed itself through his magnificent sculptures and monuments.

Mike Fields was trained under his father for bronze sculptures since he was 13 years old. Mike Fields has studied the classical masters of bronze sculpture and marble sculpture over the last 1000 years setting his goals lofty, he is determined to establish himself of one of the best sculptors of his generation. He recently completed a 15' bronze monument of a cougar for Washington State University. The bronze sculpture, which was dedication on apple cup weekend 2008, his Mike Fields' first major monument sculpture and has already gained him a lot of recognition.

 

 

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Information about Eagles

 

Eagles are large birds of prey which inhabit mainly the Old World , with only two species ( Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle ) found in North America , a few in South America , a few in South America , the ( White-bellied Sea Eagle , Wedge-tailed Eagle ) in Australia , and the Philippine Eagle in the Philippine Archipelago. They are members of the bird order Falconiformes (or Accipitriformes , according to alternative classification schemes), family Accipitridae and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other.

Eagles are differentiated from other broad-winged birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build, and heavier head and bill. Even the smallest eagles, like the Booted Eagle , which is comparable in size to a Common Buzzard or Red-tailed Hawk has relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and more direct, faster flight. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from the vulures .

Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, and powerful talons . They also have extremely keen eyesight to enable them to spot potential prey from a very long distance. This keen eyesight is primarily contributed by their extremely large pupils which cause minimal diffraction (spreading) of the incoming light.


In Britain before 1678, Eagle referred specifically to the Golden Eagle , the other native species, the White-tailed Eagle , being known as the Erne. The modern name "Golden Eagle" for Aquila chrysaetos was introduced by the naturalist John Ray .

Eagles build their nest in tall trees or on high cliffs. Their nests, which are sometimes called eyries , can grow to 10 feet in diameter and weigh as much as 2000 pounds.

Eagles are sometimes used in faconry . They appear prominently in myth and literature. In the Old World, such references are commonly to the Golden Eagle (or possibly closely related species found in warm climates).

thermo eagle Thermographic image of an eagle, thermoregulating using his wings

Contents

Taxonomy

For many years there has been some scientific debate as to whether the Accipitriformes are a separate order, or belong to the Falconiformes .

Major new research [ citation needed ] into eagle taxonomy suggests that the important genera Aquila and Hieraaetus are not composed of nearest relatives, and it is likely that a reclassification of these genera will soon take place, with some species being moved to Lophaetus or Ictinaetus .

FAMILY ACCIPITRIDAE

Eagles in culture

The word

The English name of the bird is derived from the Latin term aquila by way of the French Aigle . The Latin aquila may derive from the word "aquilus," meaning dark colored, swarthy, blackish, as a description of the eagle's plumage, or from "Aquilo," the Latin version of Greek Boreas, or north wind.

Old English used the term Earn , related to scandinavian Ørn . The ethymology of this word is related to Greek Ornos , literally meaning "bird". In this sense, the Eagle is the Bird with a capital B.

Eagles as national symbols

eagle symbol Coat of arms of the town of Berg en Terblijt in the Netherlands, an example of the prolific use of the eagle in European heraldry .

The eagle has been used by many nations as a national symbol, depicting power, beauty and independence.

Napoleonic eagle Napoleonic eagle Image:Selçuklu kartali.jpg A Selçuklu kartali , the coat-of-arms of the Seljuk dynasty .

Eagles as religious objects

In Jewish tradition the eagle is a symbol of true greatness, and the nation's greatest leaders such as the great sage of the Middle Ages Maimonides and the Lubavitcher Rebbe , Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson , the modern day leader of world Jewry have been referred to by their peers and students as "The Great Eagle". The Torah compares God Himself to an eagle in Deuteronomy, 32.11-12. "As an eagle awakens its nest, hovering over its fledglings, it spreads its wings, taking them and carrying them on its pinions. [So] the Lord guided them [the Israelites] alone, and there was no alien deity with Him."

The eagle is a sacred bird in some cultures and the feathers of the eagle are central to many religious and spiritual customs, especially amongst Native Americans . Native Americans revere eagles as sacred religious objects and the feathers and parts of Bald and Golden Eagles are often compared to the Bible and crucifix . Eagle feathers are often used in various ceremonies and are used to honor noteworthy achievements and qualities such as exceptional leadership and bravery.

Despite modern and historic Native American practices of giving eagle feathers to non-Native Americans and Native American members of other tribes who have been deemed worthy, current United States eagle feather law stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers for religious or spiritual use.

Eagles as organizational symbols

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Bald Eagle

 

The Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ), also known as the American Eagle , is a bird of prey found in North America , most recognizable as the national bird of the United States .

The species was on the brink of extinction in the US late in the 20th century, but now has a stable population and is in the process of being removed from the U.S. federal government 's list of endangered species .

This eagle gets both its common and scientific names from the distinctive appearance of the adult's head. Bald in the English name refers to the white head feathers, and the scientific name is derived from Haliaeetus , New Latin for "sea eagle," (from the Ancient Greek haliaetos ), and leucocephalus , Latinized Ancient Greek for "white head", from leukos ("white") and kephale ("head").

Description and systematics

immature bald eagle Underside of an immature Bald Eagle photographed while thermalling with a glider over the Bald Eagle Valley of Pennsylvania USA during the fall migration.

An immature Bald Eagle has speckled brown plumage , the distinctive white head and body developing 2-3 years later, before sexual maturity. This species is distinguishable from the Golden Eagle in that the latter has feathers which extend down the legs. Also, the immature Bald Eagle has more light feathers in the upper arm area, especially around the 'armpit'.

Adult females have an average wingspan of about 7 feet (2.1 meters); adult males have a wingspan of 6 ft 6 in (2 meters). Adult females weigh approximately 12.8 lb (5.8 kg), males weigh 9 lb (4.1 kg). The smallest specimens are those from Florida, where an adult male may barely exceed 5 lb (2.3 kg) and a wingspan of 6 feet (1.8 meters). The largest are the Alaskan birds, where large females may exceed 15.5 lb (7 kg) and have a wingspan of approximately 8 feet (2.4 meters).

The northern birds are the subspecies washingtoniensis , whereas the southern ones belong to the nominate subspecies leucocephalus . They are separated approximately at latitude 38° N, or roughly the latitude of San Francisco ; northern birds reach a bit further south on the Atlantic Coast , where they occur south to the Cape Hatteras area. Audubon's type specimen of "Washington's Eagle" - named in honor of George Washington [1] - was apparently an exceptionally large bird, such as are more often found in Alaska ; these have been proposed as subspecies alascanus or alascensis , but the variation is clinal and follows Bergmann's Rule .

The Bald Eagle forms a species pair with the Eurasian White-tailed Eagle . These diverged from other Sea Eagles at the beginning of the Early Miocene (c. 10 mya ) at latest, possibly - if the most ancient fossil record is correctly assigned to this genus - as early as the Early/Middle Oligocene , some 28 mya (Wink et al. 1996 [2] ). As in other sea-eagle species pairs, this one consists of a white-headed (the Bald Eagle) and a tan-headed species. They probably diverged in the North Pacific , spreading westwards into Eurasia and eastwards into North America . Like the third northern species, Steller's Sea-eagle , they have yellow talons, beaks and eyes in adults.

Bald Eagles are powerful fliers, and also soar on thermal convection currents.

In the wild, Bald Eagles can live about 20-30 years, and have a maximum life span of approximately 50 years. They generally live longer in captivity; up to 60 years old.

Bald Eagles normally squeak and have a shrill cry, punctuated by grunts. They do not make the "eagle scream" as often shown on the television. What many recognize as the call of this species is actually the call of a Red-tailed Hawk dubbed into the film.

Range, habitat, and restoration

bald eagle A captive Bald Eagle at Disney's Animal Kingdom

The Bald Eagle's natural range covers most of North America, including most of Canada , all of the continental United States, and northern Mexico . The bird itself is able to live in most of North America's varied habitats from the bayous of Louisiana to the Sonoran desert and the eastern deciduous forests of Qubec and New England . It can be a migratory bird but it also is not unheard of for a nesting pair to overwinter in its breeding area.

Once a common sight in much of the continent, the Bald Eagle was severely affected by the use of the pesticide DDT in the mid-twentieth century. While the pesticide itself was not lethal to the bird, it made an eagle either sterile or unable to lay healthy eggs: the eagle would ingest the chemical through its food and then lay eggs that were too brittle to withstand the weight of a brooding adult. By the 1960s there were fewer than 500 nesting pairs in the 48 contiguous states of the USA.

Currently it is still slowly but steadily recovering its numbers; Organizations like the Fraternal Order of Eagles which carry the Eagle as their emblem, have helped the American Bald Eagle on its recovery, by supporting other groups that rescue and preserve the Eagles and their habitat. The Bald Eagle can be found in growing concentrations throughout the United States and Canada , particularly near large bodies of water . The U.S. state with the largest resident population is Alaska ; out of the estimated 70,000 Bald Eagles on Earth , half live there.

Permits are required to keep this species in captivity (e-CFR 1974). As a rule, the Bald Eagle is a poor choice for public shows, being timid, prone to becoming highly stressed, and unpredictable in nature. As remarked above, they can be long-lived in captivity if key demands are met, but do not breed well even under the best conditions. The only Bald Eagle to be born outside North America hatched on May 3 , 2006 in Magdeburg Zoo, Germany .

This species has occurred as a vagrant once in Ireland . The exhausted specimen was discovered by a national parks worker in a northern heath . Presumably, a storm blew it out to sea, and the bird struggled across the Atlantic Ocean .

Reproduction

bald eagle chicks Two bald eagle chicks

Bald Eagles build huge nests out of branches, usually in large trees near water. The nest may stretch as large as eight feet across and weigh up to a ton (907kg). When breeding where there are no trees, the Bald Eagle will nest on the ground.

Eagles that are old enough to breed often return to the area where they were born. An adult looking for a site is likely to select a spot that contains other breeding Bald Eagles.

Bald Eagles are sexually mature at 4 or 5 years old. Eagles produce between one and three eggs per year, but it is rare for all three chicks to successfully fly. Both the male and female take turns sitting on the eggs. The other parent will hunt for food or look for nest material.

Diet

The Bald Eagle's diet is varied, including carrion , fish , smaller birds , rodents , and sometimes food scavenged or stolen from campsites and picnics. Most prey is quite a bit smaller than the eagle, but rare predatory attacks on large birds such as the Snow Goose , the Great Blue Heron or even swans have been recorded. Also, fairly large salmon and trout have been taken as well.

To hunt fish, easily their most important live prey, the eagle swoops down over the water and snatches the fish out of the water with its talons . They eat by holding the fish in one claw and tearing the flesh with the other. Eagles have structures on their toes called spiricules that allow them to grasp fish. Osprey also have this adaptation. Bald Eagles have powerful talons. In one case, an eagle was able to fly off with the 6.8 kg (15 lb) carcass of a Mule Deer fawn.

Sometimes, if the fish is too heavy to lift, the eagle will be dragged into the water. It may swim to safety, but some eagles drown or succumb to hypothermia . Occasionally, Bald Eagles will pirate fish away from Ospreys and usually the smaller raptors will have to give up their prey, a practice known as kleptoparasitism .

National bird of the U.S.

bald eagle head Bald Eagle portrait

The Bald Eagle is the national bird of the United States of America. It is probably one of the country's most recognizable symbols, and appears on most of its official seals, including the Seal of the President of the United States .

Its national significance dates back to June 20 , 1782 , when the Continental Congress officially adopted the current design for the Great Seal of the United States including a Bald Eagle grasping arrows and an olive branch with its talons . Some states had earlier did so in 1778.

In 1784, after the end of the Revolutionary War , Benjamin Franklin wrote a famous letter to his daughter from Paris criticizing the choice and suggesting the Wild Turkey 's character as a desirable trait:

For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him.

With all this Injustice, he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping & Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest country of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country...

I am on this account not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.

Despite Franklin's objections, the Bald Eagle remained the emblem of the United States. It can be found on both national seals and on the back of several coins (including the quarter dollar coin until 1999), with its head oriented towards the olive branch. Between 1916 and 1945 , the Presidential Flag showed an eagle facing to its left (the viewer's right), which gave rise to the urban legend that the seal is changed to have the eagle face towards the olive branch in peace, and towards the arrows in wartime. [3]

bald eagle in flight Bald Eagle at Yellowstone National Park

Bald Eagles as religious objects

The Bald Eagle is a sacred bird in some North American cultures and its feathers, like those of the Golden Eagle , are central to many religious and spiritual customs amongst Native Americans . Some Native Americans revere eagles as sacred religious objects, including the feathers and other parts and are often compared to the Bible and crucifix (AP 2004).

Eagle feathers are often used in traditional ceremonies and are used to honor noteworthy achievements and qualities such as exceptional leadership and bravery.

Despite modern and historic Native American practices of giving eagle feathers to non-Native Americans and Native American members of other tribes who have been deemed worthy, current eagle feather law stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain Bald or Golden Eagle feathers for religious or spiritual use (AP 2002) Attempts to extend this permitted use have met with resistance from members of federally recognized Native American tribes, who even under the permissive legislation sometimes have to wait for years before a good specimen can be procured for their use (AP 2004).

The Informant - movie

The Informant is an upcoming dark comedy thriller film, directed by Steven Soderbergh,[1] and based on the 2000 nonfiction book, The Informant, by journalist Kurt Eichenwald.[2] The script was written by Scott Z. Burns and the film stars Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, and Joel McHale. Chester Field's 12 foot Splashdown Monument of an eagle catching a fish, located at Anheuser Busch Companies Headquarters, can be seen in the background of a major scene in this movie. Please watch the movie Informant to see this prominant display of Chester Field's most significant eagle sculpture.

Chester Fields is sometimes searched for by the term Chesterfields or Chesterfield but Chester is his first name and Fields is his last with no middle name.

 

 

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FRIESIAN HORSE BRONZE SCULPTURE - 56K

FRIESIAN HORSE SCULPTURE - BROADBAND

MIKE FIELDS BRONZE SCULPTURE- BROADBAND

SMALL BRONZE SCULPTURE - BROADBAND

EAGLE STORY - 56K

EAGLE STORY-2MB

BIOGRAPHY - 56K

BIOGRAPHY - 2MB

Chester Fields - Non-Flash Wildlife Art Website-If there is no image above and you don't have flash installed click here.

Chester Fields - 56 K Wildlife Art Website- For slower internet connection.

Chester Fields - Broadband Wildlife Art Website- For fast connections, sculptures in 3d rotation.

Chester Fields - Wildlife Art Site Map

MIKE FIELDS BRONZE SCULPTURE- Site featuring Bronze Sculpture by Mike Fields

Friesian Horse Sculptures - Site featuring bronze sculpture of horses including Friesian horse sculptures.

 


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