Freestone Taxidermy & Fine Art, LLC
20915 Upland Road
Cedaredge, Colorado 81413
970-531-2719
Aplomado Falcon Graphite Drawing
Swainson's Hawk Graphite Drawing
Originally from northern Minnesota, I moved to the northern Colorado Rockies to pursue trout and nature photography (and mountains). There aren't many better places. In Minnesota I spent 7 years working at a large reputable taxidermy studio building on what I learned independently. Competing in taxidermy competitions helped to push me and kept it interesting and fresh. At the same time, I started taking photography seriously. Some formal education helped, but most of it was learned through experience. Figuring out the finer points of composition also helped my taxidermy. Feeling it was time to move on, I came to Colorado. Since then I've taken it all to another level. It's my life now. Art couldn't be any more satisfying trying to find new ways to display what I see in nature and new ways to display wildlife in a natural way. Showing movement and life in an inanimate object is the challenge.
My photography has been displayed in galleries and published in regional magazines including a cover spread. In 2011 I competed at my first World Taxidermy Competition in St. Louis and came home with the Third in World coldwater fish Akeley medallion with my brook trout. One of the highest honors in the field for a piece I spent the previous winter working on.
In 2015 I decided to try drawing for the first time in 20 years and took off with it. I've been producing original wildlife pieces on a regular basis and have begun offering fine art prints for sale around the world.
It's what I do and I love it.
-Kevin Birznieks 2016