As a youngster in his native Holland, Bob Scheelings liked to roam the dunes near his home on the western shores of the country. The abundant aviary wildlife present became his object of study. Especially drawn to the crow family and birds of prey, he put his observations to task as a taxidermist.

During his early twenties, this mainly self-taught artist moved to the United States to perfect yet another passion: the art of horse training. He now found himself in a totally different environment, the deserts of the Southwest. He quickly became smitten with his harsh and diverse surroundings.

Working as ranch manager for Al Dunning, a multiple World Champion reining- and cutting horse trainer, Bob started doing commissioned portraits in pastel. After six years of training with Al he started his own training stable. For nearly 20 years now, Bob has successfully trained and shown reining and cutting horses in the U.S. and Europe. Next to working with the horses, he continued to supplement his income with commissioned horse portraits and desert landscapes.

After a brief return to The Netherlands, he now resides in Skull Valley, Arizona, where he paints and sculpts his desert surroundings and the creatures it inhabits.

Bob only started sculpting about seven years ago; always having been a big fan of George Phippen (whose hometown, Skull Valley, he now resides in) and Mehl Lawson, he had tried sculpture several times before but didn't know enough about the process. Then after working as a metal chaser for Skurja Art Castings in Prescott, Bob learned how to go about it and the elaborate process involved. Bronze is now his medium of choice.

Bob Scheelings’ works are characterized by an amazing sense of realism. No detail goes unnoticed. His experience and skills as a horseman shows through when it comes to conformation and the equipment the horse is fitted with. No matter what the subject matter is; whether it is wildlife, birds, horses, or just your ordinary hounddog or barnyard rooster; miniature or monumental, he truly captures their spirit.

Gallery inquiries welcome.