For Obara, field study is where it all begins — ideas for bronze sculptures germinating from his encounters with wild animals in their natural habitat. From mountain tops, to savannas, from jungle depths to ocean floors, the world is Obara’s palette.
It might be a splash, a wing stroke, a gesture or stance that triggers the sculptor’s creative process. Obara travels extensively, hoping to experience that one instant of connection between artist and animal that will fire his desire to capture in bronze a millisecond of time.
In the field Obara uses both camera and clay to record wildlife at rest or in action. In Tanzania, he observed lions relaxing in grasslands in their regal fashion. Rather than depict the lion hunting or devouring prey, or dozing in the afternoon sun, Obara choose to sculpt the lion in the act of roaring. For Obara, it is the lion’s deep reverberating roar that defines its very essence. Setting his subject in a bit of native flora or landscape expresses the idea of a wild animal in its natural habitat.
A story teller in bronze, Obara translates dramatic encounters with wild animals into art. “I want to show the soul of each exquisite creature. I have to see it, touch it, smell it. My art is visceral, raw like nature.” Grizzly Bear and Grizzly Bear and Elk were inspired during an elk hunt in Wyoming’s Thoroughfare. At dusk, a guide, who needed meat for his larder, shot an elk. As he field dressed the animal, darkness descended and forced him to abandon it overnight. At daybreak, when the group returned to pack the elk out for the next leg of their journey, they were met by a 9-foot grizzly bear standing, growling and claiming the kill for his own. It was definitely not the time for taking photos or making clay maquettes. But the vision of the majestic grizzly was etched in Obara’s memory. Someone fired shots in the air and scared off the bear long enough for the hunting party to pack the elk and make their retreat.
Wildlife conservation is an essential part of Obara’s vision, and he supports many organizations working to protect wild animals. In 1987 he sculpted Mountain Gorilla Bust for the African Wildlife Foundation. Presented to Rwanda’s President Habyarimana, this bronze had far-reaching effects and was instrumental in helping AWF obtain anti-poaching laws as well as scouts to protect the mountain gorillas.
Of his life-long dedication to capturing wildlife in bronze, Obara says, “I’m just passing through, leaving markers of bronze that say I was here, I existed, this creature existed.”
Biltong drying in Muhuba Camp, Serengeti plain, Tanzania
Steelhead on fly, catch and release on the Babine River, British Columbia, Canada
Masai warrior, Serengeti plain, Tanzania
Skinning shed in Ugalla Camp, Tanzania
Burchell's zebra in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Fisherman, Muhuba Camp, Tanzania
Poacher's snares, Ugalla Camp, Tanzania
Skinning shed in Ugalla Camp, Tanzania
Wildebeest in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Cape buffalo, Ugalla Camp, Tanzania
Mountain gorilla, Rwanda
Peter Pulitzer and Zulu chief
.gif&alt=Dugga Boy (Cape buffalo), Serengeti plain, Tanzania)
Dugga Boy (Cape buffalo), Serengeti plain, Tanzania
Hawksbill turtle, Bahamas
Catch and release tarpon on fly rod, Florida
Once Obara has a work in mind, he continues by modeling in clay, using the clay maquette or pictures as a reminder of how the subject appeared in a natural setting.
Studying a python Serengeti plain, Tanzania
Consulting map, Kigozi Camp, Tanzania
Fisherman's dugout canoe, Muhuba Camp, Tanzania
Catch and release Pacific sailfish on fly rod, Costa Rica
Atlantic salmon release on the Grand Cascapedia River, Quebec, Canada
Mrs. Obara, Atlantic Salmon
Grand Cascapedia River
Quebec, Canada
Fisherman and dugout canoe, Tanzania
Scuba diving in the Bahamas
Lion in Tanzania
Mountain gorilla, Rwanda
Bull elephant in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Hippo in Chobe River, Kalahari Desert, Botswana ceremony, Tanzania)
Masai boys before the Emuratta (manhood) ceremony, Tanzania
Native hut in Tanzania
Fisherman's bark canoe, Botswana
Baby warthog, Serengeti plain, Tanzania
Charging bull elephant, Serengeti plain, Tanzania