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S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S • 141 W ho's the greatest painter of North American big game? Ask readers of Sporting Classics to identify their all- time favorite artists and, trust me, you'll find yourself in the middle of a brouhaha. For fellow sportsmen and art collectors, Carl Rungius (1869-1959) and the late Bob Kuhn (1920-2007) rank at the top of many all-time lists. But who among living artists, especially those under 40, i.e. "the next generation," warrants recognition as masters in the making? One talent attracting considerable buzz in both sporting and Western art circles is Kyle Sims, a painter based in Bozeman, Montana, whose award-winning work has been compared to Rungius and Kuhn in their emerging years. Like those legends, Sims knows how to put his viewers in the middle of drama. As an example, imagine that you're in a Rocky Mountain forest, rattling antlers and calling in bull elk during the rut. Suddenly the timber crashes above you, though the source of the commotion coming in your direction is unknown. Could it be a grizzly? Sims delivers an answer that is both heart-pumping and, ironically, filled with soothing relief. In his wonderful oil A Meeting of Heavyweights, Sims depicts a bull elk finding itself challenged by an aggressive newcomer. Based on the artist's own observations in the wild, the painting shows his keen awareness of these magnificent animals.. "I didn't want it to be a typical elk painting," Sims says. "It's all about conveying the anxiety and feeling of chaos that exists in the middle of a herd when the patriarch is suddenly challenged by another bull." K yle Sims first appeared on my radar screen a decade ago. The progression of his vision reveals an ever-maturing painter who, while still in his 30s, is now creating scenes worthy of painters twice his age. Art by todd Wilkinson Painter Kyle SimS iS one of wildlife art'S riSing StarS. During a recent visit to his studio near the western flanks of the Bridger Mountains, I was amazed at the sheer diversity of new paintings that surrounded me—portrayals of sparring elk, bears, mountain sheep, bison, wolves, singing coyotes, moose, and pure landscapes bound for major art shows, the walls of private collectors, and Trailside Galleries, where he's touted as a rising star. The works, some oils and others, including a new series of charcoal sketches, are the culmination of a sabbatical in which Sims sequestered himself away from the busy show schedule and intensively challenged himself. "This past year was one of growth for me," he notes. "I decided to get off the deadline train a bit and experiment with charcoals and pure landscapes." Kim Fletcher of Trailside Galleries, which has galleries in both Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Scottsdale, Arizona, tries to put her finger on the magnetic allure of Sims' work. "What elevates a painting from being interesting to irresistible for myself and Kyle Sims' A Meeting of Heavyweights radiates a strong sense of excitement and anticipation as a big herd bull prepares to fend off a challenger.