James Marsico Biography

I am a full time artist and sculptor. Since 1976, I have owned and operated my own studio and gallery in the heart of the Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone National Park; Mountain Valley Artistry in Cody, Wyoming. I have been honored with several fine art awards. My sculptures have been shipped worldwide! I have several international collectors. # 1 of my commissioned life- size elk monument bronze was shipped to a collector in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition, museums, including the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C, display some of my work. At the Smithsonian, I directed the mounting and installation of a new pronghorn antelope diorama, this diorama includes the life-size custom mounts of a complete family of pronghorns. My wife and I collected the flora and fauna for the diorama near my home here in Wyoming. Thousands of people walk past this national exhibit everyday. The Pronghorn Society and the Wyoming Outfitters Assoc. commissioned this project. I grew up in California\\'s Napa Valley and Marin County, my father James Marsico ran a winery, Cuvasan Wines, and also was well known as a master gun smith and engraver. \\"My dad was truly a great artist and a major influence on who I am today,\\" Dad was an Air Force veteran of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. My grandfather, also named James, was an artist and inventor, from Creekside Pa. Jim at work on \\"Ram Country\\" One thing I took away from five years working at a large taxidermy and artist studio in Alaska,1970-76, was how to sculpt the \\"manikins,\\" or exacting animal forms, which support the tanned skins of the trophy to be mounted. This type of exacting lifesize sculpture is very demanding. \\"You have to know animal anatomy intimately to recreate realistic animal sculpture, and the most useful discipline to accomplish this is taxidermy study. The two art forms complement one another perfectly\\" In the early 1970\\'s I moved here to Park County Wyoming and I began sculpting and casting miniatures for bronze limited edition castings and they were quickly a great success for me. I was a volunteer firefighter in Powell Wyoming for 8 years and received the departments \\"firefighter of the year\\" award in 1994. I am a certified state, city and wildlands firefighter. My wife and I (35 years and still in love) have a grown son Joe, who helps me a lot in my studio and is my best friend. We also have three now grown daughters; Christi, and twins Anita and Annette.