Issues with the Artistry of Wildlife

[JimP]

Another reason for a mount like that is perhaps the hunter saw a leopard carrying a kill up a tree like that.

I have often been asked why I had some mounts done the way that they are and I just tell them that is what I saw.

Strange things happen in nature, nothing is really set in stone

 

[Shakka]

Good points as to why the Leopard is holding it like that

In the end it comes down to what the client wants and pays for

For me I want my taxidermy to look as realistic as possible, so I don't like the way the mount looks because of the unrealistic way the leopard is holding the Steenbok.

 

[fourfive8]

I have no idea but it may be the preferred way a leopard carries a really small antelope up a tree as opposed to a larger antelope where the average leopard would grab one end and drag it up. Or it could be our perception of what a leopard should be doing... one person perceives a leopard dragging every kill up tree no matter how small or large the prey may be. I looked at the pic and saw a leopard carrying a pretty small antelope up the tree. Maybe dragging a larger, floppy impala up a tree would look more "realistic".... I dunno?

 

[Shakka]

I have no idea but it may be the preferred way a leopard carries a really small antelope up a tree as opposed to a larger antelope where the average leopard would grab one end and drag it up. Or it could be our perception of what a leopard should be doing... one person perceives a leopard dragging every kill up tree no matter how small or large the prey may be. I looked at the pic and saw a leopard carrying a pretty small antelope up the tree. Maybe dragging a larger, floppy impala up a tree would look more "realistic".... I dunno?

I have been researching Leopards my whole adult life. I did 2 field studies with biologists, as well as 6 leopard hunts, and I never saw or heard of a leopard climbing a tree while carrying it’s kill any way other than holding it by the neck with the body between its 4 legs

But again, if that’s what the client wanted then it’s all good…his leopard and his money

 

[Proneshooter]

I still have never gotten a response from Dennis as to the return of my Zebra cape, so still out $350.00 and the cape. It only been 4 years since he got the damned thing, and 1.5 since he delivered the rest of the work so I guess by some peoples standards I am just being impatient.

 

[Shakka]

I still have never gotten a response from Dennis as to the return of my Zebra cape, so still out $350.00 and the cape. It only been 4 years since he got the damned thing, and 1.5 since he delivered the rest of the work so I guess by some peoples standards I am just being impatient.

A few of his buddies should be around any minute defending him

 

[tedthorn]

I still have never gotten a response from Dennis as to the return of my Zebra cape, so still out $350.00 and the cape. It only been 4 years since he got the damned thing, and 1.5 since he delivered the rest of the work so I guess by some peoples standards I am just being impatient.

I feel for you.
Best of luck

 

[fourfive8]

Maybe the leopard hauling that antelope up the tree composition is out of the norm but who knows? I notice though that leopards, some of the time, do carry the really small prey antelope by the shoulders.

 

[IvW]

I still have never gotten a response from Dennis as to the return of my Zebra cape, so still out $350.00 and the cape. It only been 4 years since he got the damned thing, and 1.5 since he delivered the rest of the work so I guess by some peoples standards I am just being impatient.

Really pathetic in my opinion.....

 

[kevin masters]

Been holding off writing this so as to wrap up my dealings with Dennis. Haven't gotten a response in over two months so I guess we are wrapped up! I got three of my trophies and three skulls that were supposed to be mounted on a shield in January. I was short three skins and nothing was done as we discussed. We settled on a discounted price and Dennis sent mine and my brothers stuff minus the items mentioned. so I held some money to guarantee delivery and apparently that did not work.
I do not want to be too disparaging about Dennis because I believe he has had some really tough
breaks but to refuse to answer any attempts at communication is unacceptable!
My advise to anyone that still has stuff with Dennis is to go get it! I am happy to have my trophies but they are not world class work! I will post some pics and intend to do a post on my trophy room as humble as it might be,lol

 

[Proneshooter]

Been holding off writing this so as to wrap up my dealings with Dennis. Haven't gotten a response in over two months so I guess we are wrapped up! I got three of my trophies and three skulls that were supposed to be mounted on a shield in January. I was short three skins and nothing was done as we discussed. We settled on a discounted price and Dennis sent mine and my brothers stuff minus the items mentioned. so I held some money to guarantee delivery and apparently that did not work.
I do not want to be too disparaging about Dennis because I believe he has had some really tough
breaks but to refuse to answer any attempts at communication is unacceptable!
My advise to anyone that still has stuff with Dennis is to go get it! I am happy to have my trophies but they are not world class work! I will post some pics and intend to do a post on my trophy room as humble as it might be,lol

I have been PM'ed by several members over the last year or two, and there are quite a few here that are in the same situation as I, and many others were, but have not posted in this thread. The thought in my head is, how many others are out there with their taxidermy tied up with Dennis? I'll bet the number would shock many if it could be known. I have written off my Zebra cape, who knows maybe someday it will hang proudly in someone else's trophy room. The treatment we received from Dennis, has cost him 3 more safaris worth of trophies, but I have found another taxidermist who is happy to do our trophies and not jerk us around. One other thing I want to get off my chest: To anyone who wants to post in this thread about how some of us after waiting well past a promised delivery date are being impatient, or because Dennis is an "artist" we have to put up with his idiosyncrasies, or he is a "World Class" taxidermist, can kiss my lily white backside. He is a horrible business person no matter how good his work may be perceived.

 

[CAustin]

This thread is 19 pages long. Pretty good for most threads here in AH. I have looked at the comments for a long time and in my opinion most are people who are dissatisfied. Trust is an important thing in this world and unfortunately this continuing sage has destroyed a lot of trust. I have friends who did exactly as suggested and went to the studio and got their skins and skulls so that another taxidermist would do the work.
To all those who have been disappointed with regards to taxidermy work I say you have your memories and that can’t be messed up or delayed. Est wishes to everyone

 

[Tundra Tiger]

This likely isn't Artistry of Wildlife quality (I've never seen his stuff firsthand). Fair enough. You know what it is though? Scheduled to arrive at my airport tomorrow (with my kudu), a scant two (TWO!) months after the capes got to my taxidermist from the tannery. And I do think it's good, solid work; I fully expect to be deliriously happy when it gets here. My point? Options exist. Options are good. In the end the best we can hope for is to find an option that makes us happy.

Happy Friday everyone.

 

[Jeffrey Masters]

Been holding off writing this so as to wrap up my dealings with Dennis. Haven't gotten a response in over two months so I guess we are wrapped up! I got three of my trophies and three skulls that were supposed to be mounted on a shield in January. I was short three skins and nothing was done as we discussed. We settled on a discounted price and Dennis sent mine and my brothers stuff minus the items mentioned. so I held some money to guarantee delivery and apparently that did not work.
I do not want to be too disparaging about Dennis because I believe he has had some really tough
breaks but to refuse to answer any attempts at communication is unacceptable!
My advise to anyone that still has stuff with Dennis is to go get it! I am happy to have my trophies but they are not world class work! I will post some pics and intend to do a post on my trophy room as humble as it might be,lol

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My brother has been very kind to Dennis in his account of our dealings with Artistry in Wildlife. We both had similar packages sent to Dennis at the same time after our hunt a few years ago. I can say in all honesty, the pieces I received look like a first grader mounted them. I only spoke with Dennis one time, for 15 minutes, while I was working in my barn. He wanted to get an idea of what I wanted, and we would move forward later. I sent him multiple pictures of the poses i wanted, and that was my last communication with Dennis. Years, and I mean years later, after NUMEROUS calls, emails, voicemails to Dennis with no reply, he calls to set up delivery, for the nest day!. I knew the game he was playing, so I refused to accept them if he sent them on. After several discussions, we presented Dennis with our offer, based solely on a few bad pictures with the mounts on a work table. He accepted, and proceeded to ship the items down, minus skins, and pedestal mount bases for my mounts. I felt sick when I saw the poor work, and condition of my mounts. I really don't want to display them because of the poor craftsmanship, and the fact that none of the mounts were done as I requested. Right now, the mounts are laying in the floor of our guest bedroom, waiting on bases to be made and shipped. I was told by several AH members to go and get my animals from Dennis, and I always thought it would be a really bad confrontation, so I let it go. I have no one to blame but myself. Dennis managed to take away all the joy of seeing my mounts , and reliving the hunt through them. Now when I see them, I only feel angry toward the POOREST businessman, and obviously only a mediocre taxidermist. I really hope that anyone who has pieces with Dennis now, will take the time to drive up and get your animals. You will really regret it if you don't. This is my last post on this thread. It is time to move on, and try to forget.

 

[Doug3006]

My brother has been very kind to Dennis in his account of our dealings with Artistry in Wildlife. We both had similar packages sent to Dennis at the same time after our hunt a few years ago. I can say in all honesty, the pieces I received look like a first grader mounted them. I only spoke with Dennis one time, for 15 minutes, while I was working in my barn. He wanted to get an idea of what I wanted, and we would move forward later. I sent him multiple pictures of the poses i wanted, and that was my last communication with Dennis. Years, and I mean years later, after NUMEROUS calls, emails, voicemails to Dennis with no reply, he calls to set up delivery, for the nest day!. I knew the game he was playing, so I refused to accept them if he sent them on. After several discussions, we presented Dennis with our offer, based solely on a few bad pictures with the mounts on a work table. He accepted, and proceeded to ship the items down, minus skins, and pedestal mount bases for my mounts. I felt sick when I saw the poor work, and condition of my mounts. I really don't want to display them because of the poor craftsmanship, and the fact that none of the mounts were done as I requested. Right now, the mounts are laying in the floor of our guest bedroom, waiting on bases to be made and shipped. I was told by several AH members to go and get my animals from Dennis, and I always thought it would be a really bad confrontation, so I let it go. I have no one to blame but myself. Dennis managed to take away all the joy of seeing my mounts , and reliving the hunt through them. Now when I see them, I only feel angry toward the POOREST businessman, and obviously only a mediocre taxidermist. I really hope that anyone who has pieces with Dennis now, will take the time to drive up and get your animals. You will really regret it if you don't. This is my last post on this thread. It is time to move on, and try to forget.

Tragic really. I feel bad for you and anyone else in the same situation. The best way to judge a businesses reliability is word of mouth. However, even that isn’t infallible. This man had rave reviews for the longest time…and then the wheels came off!

 

[JHT]

My brother has been very kind to Dennis in his account of our dealings with Artistry in Wildlife. We both had similar packages sent to Dennis at the same time after our hunt a few years ago. I can say in all honesty, the pieces I received look like a first grader mounted them. I only spoke with Dennis one time, for 15 minutes, while I was working in my barn. He wanted to get an idea of what I wanted, and we would move forward later. I sent him multiple pictures of the poses i wanted, and that was my last communication with Dennis. Years, and I mean years later, after NUMEROUS calls, emails, voicemails to Dennis with no reply, he calls to set up delivery, for the nest day!. I knew the game he was playing, so I refused to accept them if he sent them on. After several discussions, we presented Dennis with our offer, based solely on a few bad pictures with the mounts on a work table. He accepted, and proceeded to ship the items down, minus skins, and pedestal mount bases for my mounts. I felt sick when I saw the poor work, and condition of my mounts. I really don't want to display them because of the poor craftsmanship, and the fact that none of the mounts were done as I requested. Right now, the mounts are laying in the floor of our guest bedroom, waiting on bases to be made and shipped. I was told by several AH members to go and get my animals from Dennis, and I always thought it would be a really bad confrontation, so I let it go. I have no one to blame but myself. Dennis managed to take away all the joy of seeing my mounts , and reliving the hunt through them. Now when I see them, I only feel angry toward the POOREST businessman, and obviously only a mediocre taxidermist. I really hope that anyone who has pieces with Dennis now, will take the time to drive up and get your animals. You will really regret it if you don't. This is my last post on this thread. It is time to move on, and try to forget.

I believe this about sums it up.

 

[PARA45]

My brother has been very kind to Dennis in his account of our dealings with Artistry in Wildlife. We both had similar packages sent to Dennis at the same time after our hunt a few years ago. I can say in all honesty, the pieces I received look like a first grader mounted them. I only spoke with Dennis one time, for 15 minutes, while I was working in my barn. He wanted to get an idea of what I wanted, and we would move forward later. I sent him multiple pictures of the poses i wanted, and that was my last communication with Dennis. Years, and I mean years later, after NUMEROUS calls, emails, voicemails to Dennis with no reply, he calls to set up delivery, for the nest day!. I knew the game he was playing, so I refused to accept them if he sent them on. After several discussions, we presented Dennis with our offer, based solely on a few bad pictures with the mounts on a work table. He accepted, and proceeded to ship the items down, minus skins, and pedestal mount bases for my mounts. I felt sick when I saw the poor work, and condition of my mounts. I really don't want to display them because of the poor craftsmanship, and the fact that none of the mounts were done as I requested. Right now, the mounts are laying in the floor of our guest bedroom, waiting on bases to be made and shipped. I was told by several AH members to go and get my animals from Dennis, and I always thought it would be a really bad confrontation, so I let it go. I have no one to blame but myself. Dennis managed to take away all the joy of seeing my mounts , and reliving the hunt through them. Now when I see them, I only feel angry toward the POOREST businessman, and obviously only a mediocre taxidermist. I really hope that anyone who has pieces with Dennis now, will take the time to drive up and get your animals. You will really regret it if you don't. This is my last post on this thread. It is time to move on, and try to forget.

I know this will be painful, but you should consider posting pictures for others to see. Also, have you considered having another taxidermist correct the problem? I know it would cost, but at least you could proudly display your mounts.
I know how it feels to receive mediocre work, and to get ripped off. My issue was with a SA taxidermist. I feel your pain.

 

[WAB]

I know this will be painful, but you should consider posting pictures for others to see. Also, have you considered having another taxidermist correct the problem? I know it would cost, but at least you could proudly display your mounts.
I know how it feels to receive mediocre work, and to get ripped off. My issue was with a SA taxidermist. I feel your pain.

Agree 100%. Perhaps you can salvage some euro mounts from the mess.

 

[JimP]

I think that it was said 30 or 40 pages ago when it was first learned that Dennis was having health issues to take a drive and pick up your skins and horns no matter what condition they were in at the time. A few went this route and it appears that a lot didn't.

I'm not defending Dennis but once we all learned of what was going on everyone concerned should of taken a road trip instead of hoping that his quality would return, which it appears didn't. He was famous for not communicating with his clients so that is nothing new. I was actually surprised that he returned a PM to me when I was planning my first African trip, but in that email I could see that he would be hard to do business with.

So to anyone who still might have products with him you might want to schedule a few days and take a road trip and be prepared to sit on his doorstep for a day or two just in a chance to get your trophies back. It all comes down to how you feel about your trophies that he might still have.

 

[rinehart0050]

Sad to see how this has all played out for everyone. I'm glad I got my trophies back, but definitely learned my lesson. Next batch of trophies are getting done by Kanati... also conveniently within easy driving distance.