Eric Thorsen (born October 6, 1967) is an American painter and sculptor known for his wildlife sculpture and fish carvings which have won him multiple awards at major art shows nationwide including "Best In World" at the 1992 World Taxidermy & Fish Carving Championships. At age 24 he is the youngest recipient of this award. ''Breakthrough'' magazine described him as "More than Promising" and his work has "an uncanny realism". Thorsen has appeared on TV shows and YouTube and his artwork can be found in prominent public spaces, private collections, and on product labels. He has been commissioned to create artwork for corporate entities such as

Nike Inc. Nike, Inc. (stylized as NIKE) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is head ...

, Lowe's,

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

, Walt Disney Attractions, Inc. and national non profit groups. He is a resident of Bigfork, Montana.

Early life

Thorsen was born on October 6, 1967, in

Glasgow, Montana Glasgow is a city in and the county seat of Valley County, Montana, United States, the population was 3,202 at the 2020 census. Despite being just the 23rd most populous city in Montana, Glasgow is the most populous city for over , thus maki ...

. He is the son of Marcus Walter Thorsen and Denise Renee Meunier. His father, while in active service in the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

, met Denise Meunier in

Le Mans, France Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le ...

. They soon married and moved to Glasgow, Montana, in 1965. Eric was born on the Glasgow, Montana, air force base. Later the family would move to St. Charles, Illinois. Thorsen would spend summers growing up with his mother's family in France visiting the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, Musee D'Orsay, Musee du Rodin and Picasso's museum in Paris. He studied works of Rodin, Picasso, Matisse and many other painters and sculptors. Active in boy scouts, Thorsen earned the

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle S ...

rank. He graduated high school at age 17 in 1985 from St. Charles High School located in St. Charles, Illinois. Following his graduation from St. Charles High School, Thorsen moved back to his home state of Montana and attended the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fa ...

where he studied for several years but did not graduate. Thorsen carved wood sculptures in his college dorm room and his first exhibition was in the Ghost Art Gallery in Butte, Montana, in 1988. Thorsen exhibited his works of art while in college and left his studies to pursue creating artwork as a full-time career. In 1990, Thorsen was contracted to create sculptures to be reproduced by Tom Taber Co. to be used as fundraising items for

Ducks Unlimited Ducks Unlimited (DU) is an American nonprofit organization 501(c) dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. It has had a membership of around 700,000 since January 2013. ...

. Soon after, in 1991, Eric created sculptures for the Meissenburg Design Company commissioned by companies such as

, Walt Disney Attractions, Inc. and non-profit groups. In 1995, Thorsen started creating sculptures for Big Sky Carvers with thousands of pieces being sold and millions of dollars being generated for non-profit groups nationwide, including Ducks Unlimited. In 1993, he opened a gallery and studio in Bigfork, Montana."Wonderful Space". Kalispell Daily Inter Lake. Sunday, July 10, 2011 - Page 10

Personal life

Thorsen met his future wife, Cyndy Askeland, at the University of Montana in 1987. Askeland majored in education and graduated in 1991 with a degree in education. They were married on August 17, 1991, and two children were born to the couple, daughters Gabrielle and Madelaine.

Works

Eric Thorsen is known for his hyper-realistic style in woodcarving. Early in his career he was drawn to the hyper-realism style being explored by other wood sculptors such as Franz Dutzler and Jett Brunett. In 1992 he entered his woodcarving titled "Mystery of the Redd" into the World Taxidermy & Fish Carving Championships and won the "Best in World" award and title for 1992-1995. At age 23 he is the youngest recipient of this award. ''Breakthrough'' magazine wrote about his "Best in World" award-winning sculpture at the World Taxidermy & Fish Carving Championships. "The bright hues of the three fish, the details of the scales and the flex of each fin have an uncanny realism. It's as if the fish were frozen in action for the person to touch". In 1995, Thorsen began sculpting in clay creating both stylized and lifelike sculptures of both figurative and animal subjects. and casting his sculptures in bronze.Expressions in Bronze". Kalispell Daily Inter Lake. Friday, January 19, 2001 - Page 8 Examples of work created include "The Coop", a bronze sculpture depicting Cynthia Cooper for the Nike Campus in Beaverton, Oregon. and "Children & Doves", City Civic Center, City of Norwalk, California. Thorsen sculpted a life-size bald eagle bust in under 30 minutes for the C. M. Russell Museum Quickdraw event in 1996. A bronze sculpture by Thorsen, valued at $18,500, was stolen from Norwalk Civic Center in 2015. The bronze, which the thieves had taken to a metal recycler, was later recovered.

Philanthropy

Thorsen volunteers at local schools teaching CAD Software and 3D printing technology in the classroom. His sculptures have raised funds for non-profit organizations throughout the US and Canada through the following organizations: National Ducks Unlimited; National Elk Foundation; and the National Wild Turkey Federation. Thorsen has also raised funds for a dozen or more other organizations, the list of which is too numerous to mention here.

Public collections

*Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia *Natural History Museum, London, England *Auburn University *The University of Tampa *University of Arizona *Monterey Bay Aquarium. CA *Washington Park Zoo, Michigan City, IN *Cameron Park and Zoological and Botanical Sciences. Waco, TX *Mankato Art Walk, Mankato, MN *Norwalk City Center, paper boy, Norwalk, CA *Nike Campus, WNBA player Cynthia Cooper #14 of Houston Comets, life-size bronze sculpture Nike Corporation, Beaverton, OR *Norwalk City Center, Children and Doves (33' x 108” x 8”) City Civic Center, Norwalk, CA *John D. MacArthur Beach State Park, North Miami Beach, FL *Boca Grande Community Center, Boca Grande, FL *Lowes Hardware, La Quinta, CA *Lowes Hardware, Norwalk, CA *Great Northern Town Center, Helena, MT *Public Library, Polson, MT *Benefis Healthcare Foundation, Great Falls, MT *Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Trail, Helena, MT *Moonlight Basin Lodge, Big Sky, MT *Shaw Communications, Canada *The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, Whitefish, MT *Flathead Bank, Bigfork, MT

Exhibitions

Thorsen's artwork has been displayed in a number of special museum exhibits and gallery shows including: *2019 South Dakota Sculpture Trail, Waterton, SD *2019 Sculptures on Parade, Mason City, IA *2018 Mankato, MN City Art Walking Sculpture Tour *2018 Sculpture Tour Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI *2017 Sioux Falls Sculpture Walk, Sioux Falls, SD *2016 Mount St. Mary Park in St. Charles, IL *2014 Mankato, MN Art Walk *2014 Art Walk; Sioux Falls, SD People's Choice AwardThorsen Wins Peoples Choice Award for Sculpture, Bigfork Eagle, November 19, 2014 *2014 Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, SD *Whitefish Gallery, Whitefish, MT *2013 Old Faithful Lodge. One man show; Yellowstone National Park, WY, *2013 Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, SD *2012 Art Walk; Sioux Falls, SD *2001 Nike Center, Lance Armstrong building. NIKE campus. Bearverton, OR *2000 S.A.A. Annual Exhibition, MacArthur Beach State Park, North Palm Beach, FL *2000 Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD *2000 Burpee Museum of Natural History, Rockford, IL *2000 University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE *2000 Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History; South Texas Institute for the Arts, Corpus Christi, TX *2000 S.A.A. Annual Exhibition, MacArthur Beach State Park, North Palm Beach, FL *1999 S.A.A. Annual Exhibition, MacArthur Beach State Park, North Palm Beach, FL *1999 Burpee Museum of Natural History, Rockford, IL *1999 Utah Museum of Natural History, Salt Lake City, UT *1999 The Neville Public Museum, Green Bay, WI *1999 The R. W. Norton Art Gallery, Shreveport, LA *1998 S.A.A. Annual Exhibition, MacArthur Beach State Park, North Palm Beach, FL *1998 Disney's Animal Kingdom Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL *1998 Quick Draw, C. M. Russell Show, Great Falls, MT *1998-2009 Glacier International Airport, Kalispell, MT *1997 S.A.A. Annual Exhibition, MacArthur Beach State Park, North Palm Beach, FL *1997 C. M. Russell Show, Great Falls, MT *1997 C. M. Russell Museum Exhibit *1997 C. M. Russell Museum Exhibit "Fin land" *1996 S.A.A. Annual Exhibition, MacArthur Beach State Park, North Palm Beach, FL *1996 The Montana Governor's Mansion *1996 The Witte Museum, San Antonio, TX *1996 The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA *1996 The Neville Public Museum, Green Bay, WI *1996 The R. W. Norton Art Gallery, Shreveport, LA *1996 The

Delaware Museum of Natural History The Delaware Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) is a museum located since January 1, 2022. The museum was founded in 1957 by John Eleuthere du Pont near Greenville, Delaware; it opened in 1972 on a site near Winterthur, Delaware. It is known for i ...

, Wilmington, DE *1996 C. M. Russell Show, Great Falls, MT *1996 Quick Draw, C. M. Russell Show, Great Falls, MT *1996 S.A.A. Annual Exhibition, MacArthur Beach State Park, North Palm Beach, FL *1996 Art and Animals Exhibition, Bigfork, MT *1995 S.A.A. Annual Exhibition, MacArthur Beach State Park, North Palm Beach, FL *1995 Old Algonquin Museum, Algonquin, Ontario, Canada *1995 Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, VA *1995 Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, Pine Bluff, AR *1995 The Sangre de Christo Arts and Conference Center, Pueblo, CO *1995 S.A.A. Annual Exhibition, MacArthur Beach State Park, North Palm Beach, FL *1993 Boca Grande Civic Center *1992 World Fish Carving Championships. Gainesville, GA *1989 Hockaday Museum, Kalispell, MT

Awards

*2017 Best of Show II winner at the annual Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sculpture Walk *2014 People's Choice Award, Mankato, MN Art Walk *2014 Art Walk; Sioux Falls, SD People's Choice Award *2012 "Best of Show" Art Walk; Sioux Falls, SD *2003 People's Choice, Best Sculpture, C. M. Russell Show,

C. M. Russell Museum Complex C. M. Russell Museum Complex is an art museum located in the city of Great Falls, Montana, in the United States. The museum's primary function is to display the artwork of Great Falls "cowboy artist" Charles Marion Russell, for whom the museum ...

*2002 People's Choice, Best Sculpture, C. M. Russell Show,

. *2001 People's Choice, Best Sculpture, C. M. Russell Show,

*2000 People's Choice, Best Sculpture, C. M. Russell Show,

*2000 Award of Excellence,

Society of Animal Artists The Society of Animal Artists is an international organization for artists who paint, sculpt, or draw animals and wildlife, founded in 1960. The Society holds an annual exhibition, "Art & the Animal", which premieres at museum venues. A portion ...

*1998 C. M. Russell Quick Draw Highest Bid *1996 Ralph "Tuffy" Berg Award, C. M. Russell Show

*Best of Show, Premium Show of Fine Art *1992

Carl E. Akeley Carl Ethan Akeley (May 19, 1864 – November 17, 1926) was a pioneering American taxidermist, sculptor, biologist, conservationist, inventor, and nature photographer, noted for his contributions to American museums, most notably to the Milwau ...

Award, Best In World winner, World Taxidermy & Fish Carving Championships *1992 World Fish Carving Championships, First Place, Master Division, World Class

Television appearances

*KPAX-TV special 1994 ''Under the Big Sky'' *Bigfork History Project *Interview Montana *2001 ESPN Interview, Eric Thorsen – Cynthia Cooper dedication *KDLT-TV, Sioux Falls, SD

Television & movies

Thorsen's art has been used in television and movies: ''WKRP in Cincinnati''; ''Wild Things'' (1998), directed by John McNaughton;'' City Confidential''; ''C Span with Anderson Cooper'', opening sequence.