Chester Fields Biography

What does it take to soar to the top of the art world?

For one of America's most successful wildlife artists, it has been a generous dose of persistence, devotion to detail, a fanatical work ethic and an eye for the beauty and awe of nature's precision.

And something else: the unflinching confidence in his work, its importance, and the world's capacity to understand and appreciate it.

Chester Fields has soared near the top of the Western and Wildlife art scene on the wings of his signature works of bronze: Eagles in action. Fields' eagles are not static and austere. They radiate the fierce strength of a hunter, the regal grace of power and the elegance of creatures, which have been revered and worshiped for thousands of years.

Today, Fields' bronze eagle masterpieces, wearing such action-packed titles as "Splashdown," "Thunderbird" and "Attack," grace boardrooms and outdoor plazas of some of the most influential corporations in the world: Anheuser-Busch, Chevron, Harley-Davidson, to name a few. His work also adds important dimension to the major collections, having been selected for the 1986 Birds in Art national tour by Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau , Wisconsin , and to individual art collections: the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia, The Appleton Museum of Art, The Sultan of Brunei, and more. An 18' monument of Majestic Courtship stands as a centerpiece to a private collector's mansion.

It was an eclectic mix of experience and personality that created the man who created the art.

As a child, growing up in the rustic ranch country of the Canadian and American Pacific Northwest, Chester Fields knew instinctively that two things would be a part of his destiny. He knew that some day, somehow, he wanted to become a professional artist. And he knew that the beauty and the drama of nature, which was a constant part of his childhood, would remain a center for his life.

To prepare for the first, Fields devoted hours of his childhood playtime to watching, drawing and painting his surroundings...butterflies, wildlife, nature. That preparation helped ensure the second portion of his destiny. As he watched and observed, Fields' eye for detail and his appreciation for the delicate, powerful faces of nature were honed to a fine edge.

While he may not have considered himself lucky at the time, an opportunity appeared shortly after his graduation from a college graphics design program. It came disguised as a draft notice.

As a staff artist on an American Army base in Germany , Fields used the off-duty hours of his two-year military tour to study art as only the Masters can teach it. Roaming the halls of the greatest museums and galleries on the continent, he studied the techniques of da Vinci, Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Van Gough…every detail and definition of Rodin and Michelangelo. It was not formal training in today's sense of an art education, but for one who already owned a passion to learn, the masters were his tutors.

Upon returning from his military tour, Fields spent a short period as a commercial designer. The pause provided him the time he needed to refocus on his dream of a fine arts career, to marry and start a family, and to leap from that springboard into a career that would outstrip even his own dreams.

That was the mid 1970s. From then on, there was no looking back and no stopping. The subject matter Fields chose was the natural one…the birds, animals and people who nurtured his talent as he grew up. The medium he chose originally, canvas and paint, produced immediate recognition in the art world that here was a startling new talent, and it won him invitations to prestigious shows and displays such as the invitation only Cowboy Hall of Fame.

And throughout the development of his career, his wife, Cathy, and his children, Mike and Christy, have remained an important part of his life. He nurtured the creative talents of both his children, so that today they join him as artists in their own right. Mike is already establishing himself as an accomplished sculptor and assists in the marketing and operations of Chester Fields Bronzes Inc. Christy chose the pictures painted with words and ideas through her career in marketing.

Working by night in his home studio, he settled into an artists' life of creating and showing his work, and challenging all of the barriers to fame that pervade the modern art world.

To capture the excitement and reality of the American West, Fields used the knowledge he acquired during his childhood and combined it with an inborn energy, technical skill and attention to detail. He devoted hours to painstaking research to produce the creations that were his flawless works of art. He explored the soul of his subjects by using all manner of aids…photography, video, taxidermy and more...allowing him to bring nature to life on canvas.

His initial offerings--sometimes delicate, sometimes powerful--moved tempera and acrylic from a medium to a mirror, reflecting reality and impressionism in a single image. He received early recognition for his paintings from the Western Artists of America and sold his works regularly in shows and galleries all over the west and expanded his subjects to explore some new and related fields of interest.

A passion for the strength and ruggedness of the original mountain man, who conquered the wilderness of the West, found reflection in some paintings. A fascination with the depth of the spiritual relationship that the Native American shared with their natural surroundings led to the creation of a series of critically acclaimed paintings of the Shaman rites of the Algonquin Indians.

...and always, he returned to his first love: wildlife.

As experience and success built his confidence, Chester began to take on new challenges. He moved from canvas to sculpture.. Because of their permanence, their ability to hold fine detail and to accept patinas that closely mimic the colors of nature, bronzes by Fields quickly became the newest treasures of astute art collectors.

His first sculpting effort, "Splashdown," swept the Wildlife Art world with such explosive force that it required only three years to reach its final selling phase for the edition of 75 plus 10 artists' proofs.

Small wonder. Splashdown is an amazing combination of precision, balance and movement, dramatizing the strength of a magnificent Bald Eagle as it snatches a German Brown trout from its watery home. Splashdown created excitement and appreciation wherever it was shown, and acquired a long list of critical accolades and awards nation-wide, including the coveted Best Sculpture Award from the C. M Russell Art Show, 1995.

Not to be overcome by initial success, Fields returned to his studio at regular intervals of four to six months, producing one astounding piece after another. From small tabletop bronzes to magnificent monuments, the eagle that throughout history has represented power, courage and triumph dominates the list of his success.

Splashdown was followed by even more spectacular work.

"Majestic Courtship" is an enormously powerful bronze sculpture of the courtship flight of two Bald Eagles. This re-enactment of the courtship ritual has been critically acclaimed as a masterpiece of form, balance and vision. International appraisers and gallery owners alike have agreed that it is one of the finest sculptures they have seen.

Most recently, the regal grace of the trumpeter swan, "Elegant Flight" (a single bird) and "Elegance" (a pair of swans) joined Fields' family of exquisitely--and lovingly--created birds in bronze.

As the viewer closely examines each piece, he can appreciate the extravagant devotion to detail that characterizes all of Fields' work. Each feature is carefully researched for its purpose in the bird's overall physical makeup, and then individually created with a precision that is seldom found in any medium. Working in clay and fiberglass on the original piece, every aspect of the bird is balanced, formed and finished into exactly the right position.

Standing back, a broader perspective expands the viewer's appreciation of a Fields sculpture. The meticulous details suddenly flow together into major expressions, seeming to freeze motion into a breathtaking illusion of continuous movement. He has captured the very essence of the life force. The animals appear to pose only long enough to be admired, and then continue on in their quest for life

Fields initial fascination with the eagle, leading to the creation of over twenty variations of the birds in bronze, began with his concern for their survival. In the 1960's and 1970s, eagles were on the endangered species list, and although they have since been removed from that list they still require protection.

Since his earlier career successes, over 750 of Fields' eagles have found homes in the boardrooms, the mansions and the courtyards of some of the most influential corporations and residences of over 20 nations. Eagles have come back from the threatened species list and are thriving throughout the world, yet they continue to inspire the artist and lovers of nature with their beauty, strength and grace.

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