Though referenced at Large Roadside Attractions of Canada as Mountain Sheep its actual title is "Heading For Radium".
The sculpture is actually of three bighorns, a mature ram and two younger adolescents. Done in bronze, the sculpture depicts the trio scrambling down a steep rocky slope. They are about life size and very well detailed, completely realistic. The sculpture is mounted on a large native boulder, in front of which a bronze plaque is mounted on a shirt steel post relating a bit of the lives of typical bighorn sheep.
The sculpture, unveiled in October of 2000, is the work of sculptor
Rick Taylor, originally of Alberta, who donated it to the town of Radium. It is entitled
Heading For Radium. Reading the plaque below will reveal that it is autumn and the rams are headed down from the mountains to the valley around Radium to engage in the annual mating ritual.
To the side of the sculpture is a second bronze plaque, this one mounted in honour of local backcountry guide and wildlife advocate Albert Cooper.
RICK TAYLOR
Radium Hotsprings is located in the heart of the British Columbia Rocky Mountains. The theme of the town is “Bighorn in our Backyard” as wild bighorn sheep winter all around the valley bottom including their backyards. With this in mind, a monument was commissioned by the town to commemorate this theme. The monument’s purpose is to raise awareness about the presence of these animals and the challenges presented to them as they live in such close proximity with people. This cast bronze original monument now greets visitors to the tourist centre in the heart of town and with interpretive plaques it outlines the life of the Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep and recognizes the sponsors who funded this project.
Rick Taylor is one of the most renowned wildlife artists on the contemporary sculpture scene. His art is appreciated and collected by museums and individuals world wide. His focus is centered on the wild sheep of the world but covers species and subjects from all corners of the globe. Rick Taylor is talented, hard working and passionate about the work he does and about preserving the wild places and species he loves so much.
Having grown up on the Alberta prairie, the young Rick Taylor learned of the joys of outdoor life. His respect for living creatures and his endless curiosity led him to explore every avenue of nature he could find- to hunt, to fish, but above all to observe, to see in animals those things which others could not see.
In 1971, in his 20’s, Rick graduated from the University of Calgary. His B.Sc. in zoology laid the foundation for what would become his detailed understanding of the minutiae of the animal kingdom. He embraced the precision of the scientific approach, leading him to adopt exactness and perfection as part of the ethic which would characterize his future art. After a four year stint working as a museum taxidermist and display artist he opened his own taxidermy studio and began his real apprenticeship for his future career in sculpture. It was by handling wildlife from every corner of the globe that he learned what he needed to know to become a wildlife sculptor of international stature.
From Rick Taylor