Tobin J Capp

Tobin Capp's sculptures are a unique reflection of his western lifestyle. He is a third generation Montanan, descended from an adventurous great-grandfather who pioneered the West. Tobin, like his great-grandfather, was called to adventure. With no frontiers left to tame, the rodeo arena stole his heart at an early age.

"I began riding steers at age ten and was getting on bulls within two years. That first bull broke my collarbone but not my spirit. I continued to give rodeo everything I had," reminisces Tobin.

It was that determination that led him through the ranks of high school rodeo, college rodeo, and a ten year professional bull riding career. While rodeoing for the University of Montana and attending their fine arts school, Tobin met rodeo judge, sculptor, and foundry owner, Bob Burkhart. It was a pivotal point in Tobin's art career.

"The University art program was not structured to teach what I wanted to learn. I was one semester away from a degree in fine arts when I spent three days at a sculpting school with Bob and artist Jeff Wolff. In those three days, I discovered a medium that I really enjoyed. I returned to Missoula, switched to the College of Business, and pursued my art education from sculptors who were making a living at it."

Tobin Capp is considered a pure artist in the world of bronze art as he is involved in every phase of his pieces from the creating of the clay originals to the molding, casting, and marketing.

Tobin's art is also heavily influenced by his passion for nature and the wilderness. He spends an average of 100 days per year in the outdoors hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping and says, "Woodsmanship is a tradition of my family and is the obligation of each generation to pass down to the next. I draw the majority of my inspiration from my time in the field."

As Tobin has built his collection of works, he has felt an obligation to help others fulfill their dreams through his talent of sculpting. He has donated works to organizations such as the University of Montana Rodeo Team; the Montana State University Rodeo Team; The Miss Rodeo Montana organization; Ducks Unlimited; and the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies of Montana, where he was the featured artist in 2004. Tobin has also been selected for four years in a row to the juried show at the Mountain Oyster Club in Tucson, Arizona. His pieces can also be seen at the Phippen Museum Art Show in Prescott, Arizona; and the Empire 100 Western Art Show also in Tucson, Arizona; the Western Design Conference in Jackson, WY; and at the Cowboy Marketplace at Mandalay Bay during the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.