I currently reside in Clifton Park, NY with my
Wife and three children. Born in 1967 in the
small City of Cohoes in Upstate NY I have had a
lifelong interest in art. I can remember drawing
primarily birds and other wildlife at a very young
age. But like most kids in a small city art was fun
but not a career. It was not until years later that
I discovered that for me, art provides balance in
my life. As a Lieutenant in a career Fire
Department and a past Rescue Squad Officer on
the New York State Urban Technical Search and
Rescue Team I have experienced, in close
proximity, how fragile life is. My participation in
the rescue efforts at the World Trade Center on
9/11 was a profound life changing experience,
increasing my focus on my art and my search for
balance in my life.
   The primary focus of my art comes from my love of nature and wildlife.
Living close to and spending time in the Adirondack Park in Upstate NY I
find a never ending source of inspiration. I find nature demonstrates the
daily struggle of life in its most primitive form, basic survival, food, water,
shelter, etc. At the same time nature displays peace and serenity equal to
none, a true expression of balance. When I discovered antler as a medium
I found I had a real passion for it. Antler has strength, beauty, and
uniqueness brought to it by the powerful yet graceful animals that carry
them.  Unlike clay, marble, wood or other traditional sculpture materials,
antler confines me to the natural characteristics of the shape created by
nature. I find this quality fascinating as it challenges my artistic vision to
find the art in the antler. Antlers are grown and shed each year producing
one of a kind canvasses to create with, no animals are harmed.
   My goal as an artist is two fold. First to share my love of wildlife and
nature with others with the hope protecting animals and their habitat for
the future. Second is to allow one to escape, if only for a moment, to a
place they may have been or hope to be. To experience emotions of
peace, serenity, solitude or perhaps anticipation or excitement that one
can only experience in nature.
                                                                 Wilfred F. Charbonneau Jr.