What People Say
As my research
progressed I took a deep breath and started sending out a few emails
explaining my project and asking for advice and information, and in so
doing I have met some very friendly and helpful people.
Here are a few extracts from their
emails…
“I
am glad that you have found an interest in carving decoys. It
is a very interesting and worthwhile endeavor. In addition to
learning to carve decoys there is much to be
learned about ducks, waterfowl, and
the history of duck hunting and decoy making.”
Mike Lawrence, The Woodcarvers Cabin
“I
was very surprised to hear that you saw birds (duck decoys) in Mystic
Conn. I am sure they were in small coffee Shoppe….
There was a good number of birds in there from a collection by Jim
Blair. He was a collector that died back in the mid 90’s. My
father also had a number of birds in that collection as well, and yes,
many were mine as well. So, I was delighted to see you saw them. Great
area of the US, and I miss being back in Conn. I have many fond
memories back there. I bet you kick yourself for not scrapping the
money up to buy a bird. Your bird would probably have doubled by
now.”
“The
Carving world is and can be addicting. Good luck with it.”
Tom Matus, taking time out from completing his
entries for the 2006 World Cup Championship, extracts from email
correspondence.
(Tom has won more than
125 “Best of Show ribbons” and many other awards
and accolades. In April 2006 he “swept the
board” taking the top three places in the Gunning Pairs
section of the Ward Foundation World Championships.)
“Bill
Einsig of Wildfowl Carving Magazine forwarded your e-mail to us and we
found it very interesting. I am the President of the
International Wildfowl Carvers Association more commonly known as IWCA
and my wife is the Secretary. IWCA is a non-profit
organization. I carve and JoAnne paints my carvings
and we consider ourselves medium level carvers.
IWCA has about 14 affiliated member
shows/clubs across the US and our individual membership hovers
around 1,000. We promote wildfowl and fish carving
and assist with the shows. In addition
we sponsor four national competitions, provide some
funding to youth carving instructors, and sponsor carving
seminars.
One of our major goals to to promote the "Art of
the Decoy". Another of my goals is to put
together a traveling exhibiton and perhaps a competition
in Europe. It will be interesting to see if we can
find a funding source for such a venture.
Your e-mail was particularly interesting
since just last night I was talking with a carver about trying to
extend the bird and decoy carving beyond our national boundries (we do
have a number of members from Canada and
a handfull from other countries such as Japan, the
Netherlands, Russia).
If you would like to know more about IWCA go to our
website www.iwfca.com. We don't know if we can assist you in
what you are doing but it sounds interesting.
We have two decoy competitions the first
weekend in August at Dundee, Michigan. The championship
contest will be for what we call the IWCA Style Decoy--a smooth but
highly detail painted bird. The other contest will be for the
IWCA Working Decoy--decoys that would be used for hunting.
Keep
us posted on your progress and if you ever get to the Pacific Northwest
of the US we would love to meet you. Let us know if we can
help.”
Byrn and JoAnne Watson, ICWA – email I
received after I made contact with Bill Einsig of Wildfowl Carving
Magazine
… and another email from Byrn after I
told him I had discovered the British Decoy Wildfowl Carvers
Association (BDWCA) and that they were holding a Carving championship
in the UK in October 2006 …
“Thanks for the information on the UK
Decoy Carving Championship. I contacted the show director and
we are thinking seriously of attending the show in October. (which they
subsequently decided to do) We have also offered to bring an
exhibit of Palm Frond Decoys if they are interested. Palm
Fronds were used by U.S. West Coast Carvers at the turn of the
century. They were cheap, same as the decoy carvers
(reputation)!”
And then I
went to a specialist forum – more information in the Learn How to Carve a Duck Decoy eBook
– and asked the following question:-
Subject:
How would you describe
your hobby? Addictive, Relaxing, Creative, or ...?
Message:
Hi. My name's Pam Wilson,
I'm based in the UK, and this is my first posting.
For the last few months
I've been researching for an Internet based project I'm setting up on
the subject of "Decorative Ducks".
In the course of this research I've met some
really helpful people who have taken time to give me information, or
introduce me to
others who can help, and I've ended up totally fascinated by the
subject of carving a duck decoy. So much so that in 2 weeks time I will
be learning to carve my first Mallard Drake!
My project (Web site,
eBook, newsletter) is primarily aimed at beginners, like me, who want
to learn how to carve a duck decoy, especially those in the UK and
Europe.
And that's where I'd like
to ask for some help from you ... I thought it would be really
encouraging if I could include some Quotes from people who already
carve. Tom (Matus)
has already told me that "The Carving world is and can be addictive",
would any of you have some encouraging quotes and/or advice that you
would be happy to let me use?
----------------------------------------
And here are
some of the encouraging and supportive replies which came flooding in:-
Hi
Pam, welcome to the forum.
Quotes
you can use? 'First you get good then you get fast"
The
carving should reveal the species prior to painting just in the
silouette. Key attributes should quickly and easily identify the
species whether it is primed in white gray or whatever.
If
you can't tell the species, attitude and what it is doing prior to
paint you are not finished carving.
RobS (Mr Magoo of the Carving World), Calgary,
Alberta, Canada
----------------------------------------
Pam,
When i was a begginer I remember hearing " carve to the round" alot.
And i mean alot. I was told to invision a football. NO flat spots.
Good
luck with your new addiction!!!
Nathan, DuQuoin, Illinois, USA
----------------------------------------
Here's
one....
"Under
every fancy decorative there was probably a real good gunner"
Another...
"adding
ornaments and garland to an Maple tree doesn't make it a Christmas
tree!"
Tom Matus (TGUN), Boise, Idaho, USA
----------------------------------------
I
always tell my students "You can't carve a decoy until you know what
the duck looks like, so gather reference.
When you think you have enough, go gather
more, you can never have enough reference".
As
for,Addictive, Relaxing, Creative, read my signature line.
While
your at the pond taking pictures don't forget to stop and just watch
the birds. After awhile you'll see personalities emerge. Ducks are
wonderful creatures to just watch.
Frank Peeters, S/E Michigan, USA
There
is a very fine line between “hobby” and
“mental illness”
----------------------------------------
An
old freind once told me the easy method of carving a duck. "Cut off
every thing that doesn't look like a duck, and when your finished you
have a duck."
Wes Townzen, Grafton, Illinois, USA
----------------------------------------
Pam.
It so nice to have some one from the UK
Get bit by the carving BUG. I am sure you will
get a lot good advice from the member of the forum. There is a lot of
information stored in the minds of the members. ALL you have to do is
seperate the facts
from the fiction. My favorite saying was, HOW CAN YOU CARVE IT IF YOU
HAVE NEVER SAW THE SUBJECT ALIVE. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR PROJECT.
Bob Sutton, Long Beach, California, USA
----------------------------------------
Pam...
Here is one of
the many that my dad used... "if you can peel a potatoe you can carve a
duck"
Also..
"watch that knife it's sharp really sharp, sharp enough to cut your ass
to thin to fry."
“SMOKE”, Selinsgrove,
Pennsylvania, USA
----------------------------------------
Pam..........the
one that sums it all up for me is " its the most fun you'll ever have
with your clothes on!" Decoy carving is addictive, relaxing, inspiring
and when you can do it with your children.........its even better!!
Hope all goes well with your project!
Jim Romig aka woodwizard, Middleburg, Pennsylvania,
USA
----------------------------------------
Pam
,
I'm not good with one
liners , but for me making honest decoys to hunt over is an extension
of my deep seated love of the natural world.
It
is also an attempt to capture the tradition , history , and
craftsmanship of a long standing utilitarian art form in a way that is
relavant to todays needs.
Ohh,........and
by the way.........it's pretty darn fun too!...............LOL!
Hope
this is of some use in your project
Jode Hillman, South Jersey, USA
----------------------------------------
Pam,
Frank
(Peeters) gave you about the best advice that I beleive is true. When you get ready to
carve a bird or decoy assemble as much reference material as you can
find.
Dan Butler, Flushing, Michigan, USA
----------------------------------------
My
advice to beginners is based on my personal initial experiences which
were rather unfortunately marked with uniformed decisions and poor
choices, which resulted in several years of lost time and personal
frustration.
First,
realize that there are many disciplines and sub-disciplines in the
waterfowl carving world: pure decoratives, miniatures, impressionistic
decoratives, competition decoys, hunting decoys, etc.
Then
there are choices to be made in materials: wood, cork, canvas covered,
and others. Each has its loyal adherents and each demands some specialized skills for
mastery.
My
advice can be reduced to this...
· Make an informed decision as to which carving path
you want to follow. Don't be afraid to make your own path, there you
will find the joy of self expression. Others will value the
individuality of your work.
· Avoid distractions, but learn from all you
see.
· Avail yourself of the incredible wealth of
instructional and reference material to be found in modern publications
and media, and on the internet (including this forum).
· If at all possible, locate a mentor who will guide
you through the learning steps. A mentor will enable you to avoid
common mistakes, propelling
you to an early entry into productive carving.
· Don't take it all too seriously. It is, after all
just a hobby.
Again,
we're pleased to have you join us.
JimD (curmudgeonly old guy), Linwood, North
Carolina, USA
“Make
your own birds. Not someone else’s. Write that down. Pin it
on the wall. Refer to it.”
----------------------------------------
After
completing my first Bufflehead---my (tor)mentor told me---"now come
back when you have carved your fiftieth"----
“Doc”, Long Island, New York,
USA
----------------------------------------
Pam,
after eight years of carving, I still consider myself a beginner. But here is a few quotes
that I picked up along the way:
· If you ain't bleeding, you ain't carving!
· Life is too short to hunt over plastic decoys.
· I don't understand, I cut it off twice and it is
still too short?
· If you ask for a critique of your work be prepared
to handle the criticism.
· Do you know the anatomy of a duck?
Good
luck with your research.....
Rob Enders, Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania, USA
----------------------------------------
Creativity is essentially a lonely art.
An even lonelier struggle.
To some it is a blessing. To others a curse.
It is in reality the ability to reach inside yourself and drag forth
from your very soul an idea.
Joe Lich, Sheffield Village, Ohio, USA
----------------------------------------
Hi
Pam!
Welcome!
One of my favorites is....
"A
decoy with a great head and a so so body, will always beat out the one
with the so so head and a great body."
Now
if we can keep the guys from commenting on that statement, I'll be
surprised.....
Also
I wanted to say, I consider decoy carving an art, rather than a hobby.
Hobby sounds so "craft-like". I may be splitting hairs here, but I
prefer it to be referred to as art, even if it is perhaps a hobby to
some carvers.
Calling Marc Schultz's Pintail (a fantastic carving exhibited in the
Decorative Lifesize Wildfowl section of the Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving
Competition - it was awarded 2nd place!) a hobby or craft, rather than art,
is like looking at Mount Rushmore and calling it "cute".
Some wildfowl carvers and decoy carvers are hobbyists, some are
full-time carvers, I believe we are all artists, creating art.
Laurie Gmyrek (LoonLady), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
----------------------------------------
This last message started
a “discussion” on the subject of craft vs art, here
are some of the excerpts …
Laurie, I take the opposite view, as I
see decoy-carving as a craft with a side of art. I just see it as
continuing a tradition that began as a purely functional trade. The art
is what keeps the craft moving forward. But, different strokes for
different folks.
I find decoy carving relaxing with a bit of frustration mixed in at
times. I just like to work with wood and its a bonus when I can add to
my rig with a bird that has an attitude.
JD Ebel, Simsbury,
Connecticut, USA
I think the artist is always a
craftsman but the craftsman is not always an artist. The craftsman may
not find art in their work but fortunately others may.
RobS
…What is important is we
are keeping alive a tradition that is unique to our continent.
Certainly there are artists in our midst but not every carver is an
artist. Just enjoy what you do and try to improve every carving. As the
old saying goes, "Art is in eyes of the beholder".
Dan Butler
