Rikki Morley Saunders

About

Sculptor Rikki Morley Saunders was raised in upstate New York where she was
immersed in nature, architecture, art and the sporting life. Rikki’s father taught her
to draw, paint and carve in wood and to sit quietly in nature observing the
characteristics of wild creatures.

Living in California, her fascination with art and architecture continued when she
fell in love with the Art Nouveau style. It’s fluidity and elegant depiction of the
natural world resonated with her enough to begin a collection that later directly
connected to her sculptures. Surrounding herself with Art Nouveau later provided
inspirational examples of natural beauty in both utilitarian pieces as well as fine art.
Rikki’s love of nature follows through to her accomplished equestrian career, which
landed her a spot on the long list for the 1984 Olympic Games. Riding competitions
in Europe allowed her to study great art and architecture and created the basis for
future inspiration. The parallels between athletes and artists are one in the same.
Both require focus, discipline, presence and ignite joy in their total immersion.
After Europe she settled in Southeast Pennsylvania and studied painting at the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. There Saunders discovered her
calling, sculpture. She turned back to her early days of wood carving and then
transitioned to sculpting in bronze.

In 1997, an unwarranted four-lane road expansion was proposed in Saunders’
community, threatening sprawling development resulting in the loss of prime
agricultural soils and farmland, and the degradation of water and air quality. Rikki’s
passion for the natural world and her characteristic intensity propelled her to
temporarily abandon her artistic career and create S.A.V.E., Safety Agriculture
Villages Environment, a non-profit organization whose mission is to save important
natural resources for future generations. Only after ensuring the continuing success
of this organization did she return her focus to art.

Saunders names her father as a huge influence on her life and work: one
characterized by dedication, focus, and a fierce conviction that life itself is a form of
art.

Rikki Morley Saunders has exhibited at the Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY, the
National Sculpture Society, Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC, and the Philadelphia
Show, presented by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where her sculpture was selected
for Martha Stewart’s curated collection. Her work is also included in many prestigious
private collections across the United States and Europe. Saunders is a Fellow of the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and an active member of the National Sculpture
Society, the Society of Animal Artists, and the Audubon Society.

Selected Exhibitions

2021         PAST | PRESENT | FUTURE, Somerville Manning Gallery, Greenville, DE

2019         Sculpture in the Glen

2017         National Sculpture Society 84th Annual Award Exhibition, Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC

2016         Audubon, 74th Annual Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, NY, NY – awarded silver metal

2015         The National Sporting Library and Museum, Middleburg, VA

2015         The Ella Carothers Dunnegan Galley of Art, Bolivar, MO

2014         Hudson River Museum, Exhibition “Strut” Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, Oradell, NJ

2014         54th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Animal Artists, The Wildlife Experience in Parker, CO

2013         Rikki Morley Saunders, Somerville Manning Gallery, Greenville, DE

2013         Signs of the Season in Flora and Fauna, Brookgreen Gardens, NC Show with Robert Neuman

2012         National Sculpture Society 79th Annual Award Exhibition, Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC

2012         Star Gallery, Northeast Harbor, ME

2011         USArtists American Fine Arts Show, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA

2010         Equus – The Art of the Horse, Somerville Manning Gallery, Greenville, DE

2010         USArtists American Fine Arts Show, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA

2009         Master of Foxhounds Centennial Art Exhibition, 12 City Tour

2009         Cross Gate Gallery, Saratoga Springs, NY

2008         Dogs in Art, Frost and Reed Gallery, New York, NY

2007         Animalier, Somerville Manning Gallery, Greenville, DE

Selected Public Collections

Brandywine River Museum of Art, Chadds Ford, PA
Delaware Valley Raptor Center, Milford, PA

Selected Private Collections

Malibu, CA
San Antonio, TX
Pacific Palisades, CA
Montchanin, DE
Black Mount, Argyll, Scotland
Long Island, NY
Fishtail, MT
Jackson Hole, WY
Wellington, FL
New York, NY
Newport, RI
Chadds Ford, PA
North East Harbor, MA
Auchterarder, Perthshire, Scotland
Haverford, PA
Palm Beach, FL
Middleburg, VA
Charleston, SC
Ocala, FL
York, PA
Bar Harbor, ME
Unionville, PA
Ocala, FL
Wayne, PA
Aiken, SC

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