Jerry  McKellar received his DDS degree from the University of Washington in 1969 and then spent two years working in the army dental corps. He and his wife, Gayle, moved to Colville, a small town in scenic NE Washington state, in the fall of 1971 where Jerry practiced dentistry in a busy private practice until his retirement in October of 1994.           

Throughout his dental career, he made beautiful jewelry for family and friends, and for a period of   time did very   finely detailed wildlife scratch drawings which were made into limited edition prints. In 1987 his first limited edition bronze, "Startled", was cast and he unknowingly launched himself from a hobby into a new and exciting career!      

  
Although his sculptures vary widely in style and subject matter, and range from miniature to monumental, strong    composition, power, and movement are consistent throughout. His professional background as a dentist is reflected in the structural accuracy of the facial anatomy in his busts and figures.  The human figures focus on an accurate depiction of the culture, ritual, or tribal affiliation.  The McKellars spend many weeks each year traveling in different parts of the world doing photographic studies which inspire future work.