As the world’s leading animal art studio, we approach every project with the same exacting standards — exceptional attention to detail and the utmost care and respect for the animal itself. Each piece is an original, individually designed and sculpted to enhance the animal’s best features while reflecting accurate anatomy and genuine wildlife behavior.

Your experience doesn’t end with the kill. At Animal Artistry, we create works of art that complete and extend the hunt, bringing cherished memories back to you each time you view your trophies. We honor the hunt, the hunter, and most importantly, the majestic creatures.

Our History

What is now the business, Animal Artistry, began first as a hobby while Mike Boyce was a pastor at an area church. He and a fellow hunting buddy would occasionally charge other hunters to mount their trophies and the proceeds would then go into a savings for his next trip. Hunting and taxidermy were the original training for the artist in him and the expression of his love for the natural world and wildlife. His many hunts around the world provided the experiences and first-hand observations of animals in their habitat, and those same adventures altered Mike’s approach to taxidermy and to its appreciation as an art form. An additional influence was his father, a painter, whose talent and appreciation for landscapes, form and focus, color and contrast, were imprinted on Mike from an early age.

After leaving the ministry in 1983, Mike and his wife, Kathleen, focused on the small studio in their garage. What they thought would be a quiet little shop was soon overflowing with trophies and customers, much to the chagrin of the neighbors, who would force them out and into a small, shabby commercial building. It was here they committed to establishing a taxidermy company that could produce pieces of art. Mike’s vison of wildlife was not a stuffed, stagnant trophy, but of a living, moving animal with all its inherent grace and dignity. The concept of animals in motion resonated with hunters and nonhunters alike, and a new appreciation for Mike’s artistic taxidermy took hold.

Within five years the building they rented was sold and they were forced to move the business again. This time they relocated to a portion of the commercial building they now own. Mike brought in taxidermists and finishers with experience and knowledge of various aspects of commercial taxidermy, but he never wavered from his original vision for creating works of wildlife art that uniquely expressed the story of each individual hunt and hunter. Simultaneously, Mike and Kathleen sought to create a financially successful business that would support them fully, and thus provide the opportunity to create unique and creative trophies, displays and trophy rooms - a professional company whose employees took pride in pleasing, even astounding their customers. The displays Mike designed each year for Safari Club International’s convention were a highlight for attendees.

While the business flourished, Mike also pursued his love of art and began sculpting and painting. The sculpting became the templates for many of the manikins currently used in taxidermy studios around the world. This new skill was also the beginning of a sister company, Artistry in Bronze, in which Mike expanded that creative energy into a series of both animal and human sculptures, many of which have ended up in trophy rooms, museums, golf courses and bronze gardens around the country. He has had both bronze and taxidermy displays of native Nevada state animals (Mule Deer and Desert Bighorn Sheep) created for Nevada Governors, and bronze maquettes designated as awards for various organizations. His reputation and notable success drew fledging taxidermists to the art form, so while running his world renown taxidermy studio, Mike also mentored many aspiring taxidermists and inspired them all.

When presented the opportunity to purchase the buildings they had been leasing for thirty years, Mike and Kathleen renewed their commitment to Animal Artistry, put “retirement” on the back burner, and invested in a permanent home for the business. Mike worked with a talented architect to redesign the properties into a one-of-a-kind facility uniquely suited for his vision. The bronzes, and later the paintings, he produced complimented the taxidermy business and are all now combined to make a very special and unique company.

Mike’s passing has brought a deep heartache to his family, friends and employees. For those who continue his legacy, there is a therapy— a healing, in continuing the business that now honors him with renewed dedication to his concepts and to his passion for the art of the animal.