Andrews Gallery of Wildlife Art


Matia, Walter (b. 1953)

Tom Turkey

2004, 44” x 28” x 12”, bronze

 

Walter T. Matia, born in 1953 in Cleveland, began his first art classes at the age of ten.  Matia creates naturalistic sculptures of North American fowl.  Influenced by French animal portraiture, Matia is particularly fascinated by birds at rest.  He is a hunter, fisher, bird watcher, and a lover of natural history which

all provide a narrative for his art.  Along with numerous awards, he is currently the 2007 Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s Master Wildlife Artists.

 

The wild turkey is the largest of North America’s game birds.  In the early 1930s this bird was on the verge of extinction, but thanks to hunters and wildlife restoration programs,

the wild turkey is abundant and thriving in its homeland.  Matia’s stoic Tom Turkey portrays the strength and power of this game bird.

 

 

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The Ella is on the National Register of Historic Places, listed as a State of Michigan Landmark and accredited by the American Association of Museums.

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