Vic Payne

A true son of the West, noted western sculptor and artist, Vic Payne was born in San Angelo, Texas on February 23, 1960. Vic spent his early years on the family ranch learning to ride horses and fly airplanes. In 1974 Vic and his family returned to the Lincoln County New Mexico ranch that had previously been owned by the Payne family for many years. Once he returned to New Mexico, ranching and rodeoing became his life. Tales of Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County Wars made the "Old West" come alive, and Vic appreciated his western heritage.
Vic worked in Montana as a wrangler at a Dude ranch and tried his luck at riding saddle broncs on weekends. Later, while driving a concrete truck for a living, Vic began working with clay to pass the time between the deliveries. His employer did not object to his sculpting, and in fact purchased his first bronze. It didn't take Vic long to realize that he had more of a future in clay than in concrete. Eventually he moved to the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico and built a small foundry in his barn and began sculpting fulltime. Vic's mother Priscilla Payne was very encouraging and helped to cast some of his first bronzes. Vic attended workshops with sculptor Bruno Luccesi at the Scottsdale Art School in Arizona and later with Fritz White at the academy in Loveland, Colorado.
The demand for Vic's work continued to grow, and he eventually opened galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Park City, Utah, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He has since sold two of his galleries, and now makes his home in Wyoming. He divides his time between his gallery in Jackson Hole and his studio in Lander, Wyoming. His son Dustin, who is twenty-three, can now be seen sculpting side-by-side with his Dad. Vic has been honored to sculpt monuments for Cabela's stores in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He is now working on two more monuments for Cabela's stores in Texas. He has also been chosen as the lead sculptor for a five-year project for Artesia, New Mexico. Vic Payne is currently represented by The Plainsmen Gallery in Clearwater, Florida.

"Ancient Hunter" Bronze by Vic Payne

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For more information call The Plainsmen Gallery 1-888-779-2240