Thornburg discusses a transaction with a client in his home office.
Thornburg bends over to light a large stove used to boil the flesh from animal skulls.
Fish often develop a pallid and weak appearance post mortem. Thornburg remedies this by reconstructing and painting the faded areas.
David Thornburg, 58, said he was always enthralled with nature. He used be an avid hunter and fisherman, and he worked as a self-employed land developer in Santa Fe, NM for 30 years.
When the housing market crashed in 2008, the land development business was left crippled, and Thornburg said he was forced to reevaluate his career. Having already researched taxidermy for one of his sons, he said he decided to try it for himself.
Thornburg sold his motorcycles to provide money for his family and went to New York to apprentice with a taxidermist. Upon his return, he opened up ‘Dave’s Wildlife Studio’ in the woodshop behind his house. Thornburg said he enjoys the creative aspect of Taxidermy because dead animals lose many of the aesthetics that made them beautiful creatures. He said his goal is to bring them back to life, at least seemingly.
