Blog

Dale Steffen and his wife Sharon invited me into their home in RSF to view Dale’s art pieces.  The Steffen’s beautifully appointed home displays dozens of Dale’s 248 bird sculptures.  Ducks, eagles, sparrows and many other birds have been meticulously and perfectly sculpted in wood, clay and bronze.  To simply view these lovely objects d’art is not nearly enough to fully appreciate them without knowing how they came to be.  These masterpieces are carefully measured, drawn, precisely scaled and carved representations of God’s elegant dancers in the sky.

As we tour the many rooms with the family favorites displayed, Dale begins to explain his creative process.  It’s more complicated than you can imagine.  It begins with his love and appreciation of birds – Dale loves birds.  Living on the edge of the San Dieguito River, the Steffen home is the perfect environment for a “bird artist.”  The River is a natural bird haven and home to dozens of wild bird species.  A small plate of seed is enough to attract them to the patio for further study by Dale. 

Dale’s love of birds may have come from his early days as the youngest of 11 children growing up in Elgin, Illinois.  In the family’s 3-story home near a swamp, Dale’s father kept chickens and ducks under the suspended floor of the garage.  With a deep appreciation of the natural world made up of birds and wilderness, Dale’s family spent many great times together in Yosemite National Park.  Here in the beauty of one of our greatest natural reserves he and his brother-in-law would sit around and whittle wood with simple knives.  One summer his brother-in-law brought real carving tools to enhance the whittling efforts.  Dale combined his love of birds and the craft of carving and the rest is history.

 To create his art after his subject is chosen, observed and studied, Dale completes a detailed technical drawing.  Within this drawing is each component of the bird: bill/beak size and shape, feather length and direction, feet size, color and much more.  All the details are carefully drawn and noted within this large drawing.  With the technical drawings completed Dale does a sketch or a painting to further enhance his understanding of his subject. With the drawing and the painting completed he then begins to mold the subject out of clay, using the clay model for a 3rd dimension to gain an accurate assessment of shape and size. These clay models are detailed, painted and then made available for sale.  Dale achieves lifelike features using tiny intricate tools.  Most of Dale’s sculptures are in wood or clay but occasionally he will create a bronze from one of his most adaptable compositions.  This process comprises a lot of detailed work, time, travel and expense.

Dale enters his pieces in many competitions and he competes with some of the world’s top wildlife carvers, such as master carvers/instructors like Larry Barth, Dennis Schroeder, Bob Guge, and Bob Barry.  Dale has attended many seminars with these World Class Instructors.  International shows like the Pacific Southwest Wildlife Art Show held in San Diego require precise renditions that are anatomically correct and represent the essential characteristics of the species. Steffen’s attention to details pays off in blue/best of show ribbons.  As you step inside Dale’s studio all the many ribbons and awards on the walls may be overwhelming but they are evidence of the love, the science, the skill and the artistic expression Dale puts into every one of his magnificent art pieces.  These walls of ribbons are a testament to his nickname “Birdman of Rancho Santa Fe.” 

Dale is a founding member of the RSF Art Guild, and, it is said, the best bartender at many of its events.  Now retired from his Steffen Construction business, Dale’s life is filled with family, community groups, art and birds.  Dale also creates beautiful wildlife paintings in pastels and oils.  Numerous collectors have Dale’s work in their private collections.  Many galleries have represented his work. To view and purchase some of Dale’s art visit the RSF Art Guild’s members’ collections site. Dale Steffen Collection

*Name this Artist 

This month’s Newsletter “Name the Artist” painting is by Sir John Everett Millais. The piece shown on the newsletter is called "Ophelia." Click here to learn more about the story behind this painting.

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Thank You,

Adele Hendricks