AMERICAN BITTERN
The video, below, was taken of the Bittern after it was painted and before it was sprayed or its eyes, beak, legs, etc, were glossed.
PAINTED BUNTINGS
CHICKADEES
GOPHER TORTOISE
SPOTTED TURTLE
SWIMMING OTTERS
ORNAMENTAL LOONS
The next Ornamental Bird project is Loons. I'll be making 15 each of four different poses. Some are on order by a local store. The rest will be for sale on my website.
FAMILY FEUD
Powertool carving involves using electric-powered tools to grind the wood away and to texture it. Here is a slide show of the process of converting a solid block of basswood into a difficult and intricate carving, using "powertools".
SNAPPING TURTLE
LITTLE GREEN HERON
WOODCOCK
HORNED GREBE, winter plumage
Quite a few years ago, on a very cold mid-winter night, while driving through the country on a state highway in northern NY State, my headlights picked up a Horned Grebe in the middle of the icy road. I imagine the bird had been blown far off course in a winter storm and had mistaken the shiny road surface for water. Since these birds require a run across the water to become airborne, the stranded bird was unable to take off. I picked him - or her - up and brought her home.
The grebe floated buoyantly and peacefully on a few inches of water in my bathtub, with its head pulled back and 'hunched' between its 'shoulders'. All seemed well, but the bird died during the night.
I sketched the grebe as it floated in the tub, and roughed out a carving of the bird, not many days later. I always intended to finish the carving, but that roughed out grebe has been part of my studio 'decor' for the past 25 years, or so. Finally, I'm getting around to finishing it. Unfortunately, my memory of the bird has dimmed, and I can find no pictures of the bird in this particular pose. I'll just do the best I can.
The grebe floated buoyantly and peacefully on a few inches of water in my bathtub, with its head pulled back and 'hunched' between its 'shoulders'. All seemed well, but the bird died during the night.
I sketched the grebe as it floated in the tub, and roughed out a carving of the bird, not many days later. I always intended to finish the carving, but that roughed out grebe has been part of my studio 'decor' for the past 25 years, or so. Finally, I'm getting around to finishing it. Unfortunately, my memory of the bird has dimmed, and I can find no pictures of the bird in this particular pose. I'll just do the best I can.
ORNAMENTAL BIRDS
My mother and I worked happily together to design, hand-draw, wood-burn and paint four bird species ornaments: Cardinals, Goldfinches, Bluebirds, and Chickadees.
The project involved drawing patterns, cutting the birds out on a bandsaw, sanding the edges of each bird, drawing detail on the cutouts, wood-burning the detail, painting the birds, and varnishing them. Here is a slide-show of the process.
The project involved drawing patterns, cutting the birds out on a bandsaw, sanding the edges of each bird, drawing detail on the cutouts, wood-burning the detail, painting the birds, and varnishing them. Here is a slide-show of the process.
BLUE-THROAT
ROADRUNNER
CARDINALS
CEDAR WAXWING
GREAT-HORNED OWL
WARBLERS
EASTERN BLUEBIRDS
BLUE JAY FLEDGLINGS
BLUEBIRD FLEDGLINGS
SNAPPING TURTLE
COMMON LOON in DISPLAY POSTURE
FLEDGLING ROBINS
BOBOLINK
Here's a bird I have "always" wanted to carve! I'm so glad I'm finally getting around to carving some! I used to love to see them and hear them, while growing up in upstate New York and Canada. It has been many years since I've seen this special bird. It's time I make one to hang on my wall.
WINTER WREN
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH
VERMILLION FLYCATCHER
TUFTED TITMOUSE
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS
EASTERN PAINTED TURTLES
CACTUS WREN
HERMIT THRUSH
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER
CHICKADEES
A 3/4-size Common Loon
For the past few weeks, I've been carving Loons - partly because I was asked to provide some for the newly opened Adirondack Loons & Trails store in Saranac Lake; partly because I am fascinated by these beautiful birds, and never tire trying to capture their anatomy and 'essence'.
I didn't take photos of this Loon's earlier progress, because other slide shows [below] of previous Loon carvings show the procedure.
18" COMMON LOONS
7" COMMON LOONS
10" COMMON LOONS
14" COMMON LOONS
CAPE MAY WARBLERS
CARDINALS
SANDERLINGS
If you've ever been to the beach, you've probably seen these cute little birds running along just out of reach of the waves. Except for a single Solitary Sandpiper I carved as many as forty-five years ago, or so, these will be my first shorebirds. I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out!
LINCOLN'S SPARROW
Here's another species I'm carving for the first time: the very handsome and secretive Lincoln's Sparrow. I've wanted to carve this bird for quite a few years, so I'm thankful for a customer who recently suggested that I should carve some of the lesser known and seldom seen Adirondack species.