Norman "Neal" Deaton

Neal Deaton is best known for his exceptionally lifelike and realistic dioramas and models that he has created for natural history museums throughout the United States during his long career. This type of work takes extraordinary artistic skill and understanding of nature and Deaton was uniquely suited to excel in this form of art. As a child he loved to draw and was constantly sketching, but he also had a passion for the natural world. After being discharged from the Navy at the end of the Korean war, Deaton returned to Washington DC to decide the path his life would take. He went to visit the Smithsonian Institution as he pondered his future and this turned out to be pure serendipity. He asked to speak with the exhibitions department and quickly had an interview, leading him to consider that perhaps he could make a living combining his love of art and nature. He first took a position with the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, but then quickly moved on to the Smithsonian where he worked for four years as an exhibition specialist. In 1959 he returned to his home state of Iowa and set up his own company to create these unique and exquisite dioramas. He excelled in his work and created realistic animals and natural scenes for many of the most prestigious institutions in the country. In 1963 he made dioramas from several eras of the dinosaurs that continue to be displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Also, he and William L. Brown collaborated to prepare the giant African Elephant replica that stands in the Rotunda of that same building. Throughout his professional career he also made his own art: sculpting, drawing, and painting. Neal Deaton continues to create art, recently exploring botanical sculptures that began as exact models, but have become what he considers traditional artistic botanical drawings in three dimensions. Deaton is a uniquely gifted artist who developed his skills through what could be considered a modern apprenticeship and it is his deep love of art and nature that has inspired him throughout his successful career and in his personal artistic creations.