By NICK THOMAS She may not paint masterpieces on canvass, or chisel out intricate sculptures from marble, but there is no doubt about Sheila Brandon's ability to create magnificent works of art. Brandon is a taxidermist and owner of the Brandon Wildlife Studio, in Fort Towson about 150 miles southeast of Oklahoma City. "Taxidermy is definitely art in every sense of the word," says the 25 year-old redhead from her home based studio. "Not only do you have to work with sculpting materials, but you need skills in casting, painting, drawing, preparing habitat materials and photography. All of these have to come together to make something beautiful and memorable." Taxidermy remains one of the few professions still largely dominated by men, but Sheila mastered all the skills to prepare and mount the skins of animals at an early age However, she does admit her interest in taxidermy is not shared by many woman. "While most women are getting their hair done or are out shopping, I'm usually at home bleaching skulls, or washing and tanning hides." In addition to artistic skills, Sheila says a taxidermist needs to be patient, honest, diligent, open to new ideas, have good public relations and business sense, and a God given talent and the love of wildlife. "Since these characteristics can be shared by men and women alike, the field of taxidermy is open to everyone," she says. Sheila's husband Jerry, who plays a major role in specimen preparation and is currently designing a new shop for the business, would agree. He says her work is as good as any he's seen. Sheila was just ten when her step-father brought home a deer. She watched with fascination as he skinned it out and prepped it for the freezer. "From that moment on, I kept asking if I could go hunting with him. I wanted to bring home my own deer." The first animal she skinned for mounting was a squirrel when she was 18 years old. "It was really exciting to know that I had the potential to return a dead animal to it's original appearance," she admits. Soon, Sheila's family and friends were asking her to prepare animals for them. "I decided to get some professional training and worked with Randell Berry from Powderly, Texas," she says. "He operated R.M. Berry taxidermy for over 30 years. He taught me many aspects of the profession from prepping hides to the legal aspects of the business. I started doing taxidermy commercially for myself about four years ago." Today, Sheila estimates that there are just a handful of women in the state who have their own professional taxidermy business. And as recently as 2002, she was the only woman listed as a fur dealer in Oklahoma. Occasionally, Sheila still encounters men who have their doubts about women taxidermists. "Some just hang up the phone when they find out they are speaking to a woman taxidermist, or insist on speaking to my husband. But most don't seem to mind my gender. I just like to let my work speak for itself. Once they have seen what I can do, they are pretty much convinced I can do the job." Sheila estimates she has mounted some 300 specimens over the years. "My favorite type of animals would be small game and reptiles. It's more of a challenge working on the smaller animals, so for me it becomes more enjoyable." Although she is usually outfitted in a large apron and rubber gloves, Sheila emphasizes the work - although messy - isn't as disgusting as many people imagine "It really isn't that bad. You usually don't have any internal organs to deal with and there is not as much blood as you would think." But Sheila does vividly recalls one customer who brought her an animal soon after she began the business. "This guy brought me a raccoon that had been in the back of his truck for 2 days. That wouldn’t have been so bad, except it was over 100 degrees outside. I think the shop stunk for days after that one!" So she has some advice for hunters wanting to preserve their kill and get it back as quickly as possible. "It's very simple really," she says. "Treat it like you would eat it! If you bought a steak from the supermarket, you'd either use it that day, or you would wrap it up and place it in the fridge or freezer for later. It's the same with a freshly killed animal. Either give it to your taxidermist immediately or freeze it. A general rule is to pick your taxidermist first, call them up and ask them how they want it prepared." Taxidermy is actually an ancient skill. Our early ancestors had to preserve animals skins to use them for clothing. So the art of tanning became one of the most important skills in these primitive tribes. According to anthropologists, the very first taxidermists would also stretch the skins over rocks to crudely reproduce the animals which they then used in their hunting rituals. Although it's an over simplified analogy, the overall process is somewhat like peeling a banana, then sowing the skin back onto an artificial mold having the original shape. "But there is much, much more work involved than that today," emphasizes Sheila. Once an animal has been skinned, many steps are required to meticulously clean and prepare the hide for mounting on the artificial mold having the form of the original animal. Soft tissues and organs, like eyes, have to be replaced, and the skin then carefully sown up. The animal's skin will then require finishing, such as painting, to return it to its original lifelike appearance. All this doesn't happen overnight. Since most taxidermists usually work on many projects at once, it's not unusual to take up to a year to complete work on one large animal. "Turn around time can be very important for anyone who is waiting for their prized mount," says Sheila. "We strive to have our standard mounts back to their owners within 3-6 months." And being so labor intensive, taxidermy work is not cheap. The cost of a game head can vary from $300 for deer up to $500 for steer. Life-sized mounts range from $120 for squirrels and rabbits, up to $2,500 for grizzly bears. Birds are from $120 to $450, and fish are up to $200. Reptiles are $200 and up. Because taxidermy is associated with the killing of animals, many animal rights groups don't view the profession favorably. But Sheila thinks taxidermists play a very important role in today's society. Without taxidermy, she says there would be no animals on display in the world's museums. There would be no skeletal displays, no specimens in science classes across the nation for educational use. "Taxidermy is not just for hunters. It's a viable way of recreating and preserving a renewable resource for many generations to come. For more information about taxidermy visit www.brandonwildlifestudio.com.
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