Nacogdoches, Texas. If you were to invent interesting characters that you would like to meet and get to know, Lee Richards would be one of them. A taxidermist for 30 years, he currently has a huge backlog of work – which means mountains of tanned, inside-out deer-head skins, piles of antlers, and a workshop as surreal as it was well equipped. He even had a pair of antlers from two deer who killed each other, and locked antlers in the process. They were brought to him like that, and he couldn’t seperate them until he cut the antlers off the skulls.
We spent some time with Lee, admiring his fish with gaping mouths, birds in midflight, and many innocent-looking deer, including one from New Zealand. He has been awarded many times for his work, including aspects such as correctly rebuilt septums (he shined his torch through to show us) and airbrushed eyeball membranes.
We also admired his beloved Ironback Harley Davidson, which was parked inside the shop. He insisted on wheeling it out for us, where the sunlight would show it in all its glory. And after a few more photos, we were treated to a starting of the engine. Check out the clip of this on the videos page! A beautiful bike.
A very friendly guy – we even popped the bonnet of the Prius to show him how the hybrid worked. Can’t wait to process these rolls of film!
Comments are closed.