Click on images for full view. Artist Bio follows gallery images.
Amanda Markel is an acclaimed wildlife sculptor whose work explores the strength, resilience, and connection found in both the natural world and the human experience. Raised on 80 acres in Colorado, she developed an early connection with animals and the outdoors by riding horses, playing in the mud, and learning to observe the quiet narratives unfolding in nature. At fourteen, Markel began selling her artwork to support an orphanage in Africa, an experience that revealed the power of art to foster storytelling, relationship, and meaningful change. It is a philosophy that continues to guide her practice.
Since turning her focus fully to bronze in 2020, Markel has quickly earned recognition for her distinctive style that fuses realism, negative space, and layered symbolism. Her sculptures have been exhibited internationally and featured in prestigious juried shows throughout the United States. In 2025, she received both the Gilbert & Marion Roller Sculpture Award and the Evelyn & Peter Haller Memorial Award for Sculpture, further establishing her presence within the contemporary sculpture landscape.
That same year marked a major milestone in her career with the debut of her first large-scale public installation, Ridge Runners, a 14-foot bronze sculpture installed at the Benson Sculpture Garden in Loveland, Colorado. The dynamic work captures three life-and-a-quarter-size wolves in full stride, suspended in motion and rich with symbolic narrative.
Markel resides in Bozeman, Montana, where she draws inspiration from wildlife, community, and lived experience. Through her work, she seeks to create spaces for reflection, connection, and growth—inviting viewers to consider the resilience forged through challenge and the quiet strength found within collective movement.