Emil Socher was born in Czechoslovakia in 1928. He moved to Canada in 1954 and went to work as a welder, painting and sculpting in his spare time. In 1971 he began carving full time in soapstone, while still working as an honorary game warden in the Philipsburg Bird Sanctuary - a splendid source of much of the inspiration for his early work.
From the beginning the artist's sculptured wildlife figures won wide acceptance wherever they were shown. The essence of Emil's art lies in his consummate ability to imbue an exciting, living quality into the finished pieces and this is due not only to his skill as a sculptor, but also to the strong affinity he feels with nature and with all living creatures.
In 1978 he was commissioned to carve a piece for presentation to Prince Bernard of Holland on behalf of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. Two years later, he was asked by the Governor General of Canada, Edward Schreyer, to create a sculpture in soapstone as a Coronation present for Queen Beatrice of Holland. Currently Emil Socher's sculptures are regularly exhibited at quality galleries in Victoria, Saltspring Island, Vancouver, Banff, Calgary and Edmonton, and in Carmel, California.
The artist's many one-man exhibitions have been extremely successful and his work is owned in private collections in many parts of the world.
~ Reg Ashwell
