"Always" Northern cardinal on Heavenly bamboo
Acrylic on Tupelo and brass
It was about 8 years ago when I started practicing carving. I say practice because you’re always learning and searching for that elusive harmony between a provoking composition and immaculate craftsmanship. It was also about 8 years ago that my dad started showing signs of dementia. He actually helped me on one of them, “Old Florida and Tailing Reds". He did the tramp art on the base. Two years after I started carving fish, I decided I wanted to try bird carving and at that time his mind was still sharp enough to identify birds. You see- he was an authority on birds and a highly sought after birding companion. I remember more than once when I was young, waking up and going into the living room only to find it filled with strangers in sleeping bags. They had all come to go birding with dad because somewhere in Florida a rare bird had allegedly been sighted and he was called upon to confirm the sighting. He’s been referenced in journals, articles and books for state records in Florida and has traveled throughout North and South America birding. So to have his knowledge of birds would have been invaluable. And he was never one to mince words when it came to critiquing my work (all work) for which I will always be grateful. As he became more and more demented- such a harsh word. I’ll, just say not quite with it- he began telling people, “My son is the best fish carver in the world!” I corrected him the first few times but when I saw that it didn’t matter or that he couldn’t remember I figured, if that’s what he thought then that’s ok. Anyway, I had decided that if I was going to carve birds then I had better draw a few first. At the time I hadn’t picked up a pencil to do any real drawing for over 20 years. Well one thing led to another and the next thing I knew I hadn’t done any carving for two years, I only drew. But if I hadn’t spent that time drawing my fish carvings wouldn’t be anywhere near what they are now. Because when I came back to carving and carved my first fish, I was looking at reference in a completely new way. I was seeing so much more detail and all of the shading with drawing helped with my painting.
Some of my favorite times birding with him were spent on the coast while the weather was cool and we’d scout for shorebirds where they are in abundance having migrated south for the winter. About a month before my dad passed away (still seems unlikely) he and I were able to get over to the coast one last time. And while he was tired and unable to recall the names of even the most common, he sure did enjoy his time away from the recliner he had begun to spend so much time in and for me one of the highlights of my life.
My first attempt at wildfowl carving is the Northern cardinal but it wasn’t necessarily my first choice. The reason, however; is because my good friend and very talented artist Josh Guge who is a world champion bird and fish carver sent me a study cast made from one his dad’s carvings. I met Josh in 2010 at the very first competition I had competed in where he was also a judge and gave a seminar on composition. His father Bob Guge had also recently passed away and he was also a world champion wildfowl carver. He was actually among a handful of extremely talented artists who back in the mid 80’s took bird carving to a whole new level of realism. Josh also sent me a book his father had written on carving the cardinal. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts I was finally able to carve and detail the bird but I wasn’t very happy with it. It was decent, but not like the fish carvings. But I wanted to finish and move on to the next so I started painting it. Working with an artist brush versus an airbrush which I use to paint fish are two completely different animals and while I was happy with my color matching things just weren’t going as well as they should be.
During all of this disgruntledness (unword) I would spend a lot time watching the bird feeder which has a steady stream of cardinals that come to visit. It was also about this time that I read a FB post (believe it or not) that talked about the cardinal and it lifted my spirits and attitude and among other things ended up being the inspiration for this piece. So I decided to start over, habitat and all. And when I say start over, I mean going back to the basics. Revisiting color theory, making color charts and rather than using the study cast to carve from I decided to start from scratch by sculpting in clay from my own observations, sketches and photos. I did use the study cast to get me past a sticking point here or there but I wanted the confidence in knowing that the anatomy is accurate from my own observations only. So it really was being used an "okay" it’s working. This process forced me to study bird anatomy in detail and was actual hands on learning anatomy. But the study cast and book were invaluable in that it gave me the confidence to say ok I can sculpt something that resembles a particular species of bird- that was the absolute first obstacle. Just like fish, it wasn’t until I started really studying fish anatomy and making my own patterns and paint schedules that my fish carvings got to the point where they are now. Early fish carvings were completed because even though I knew they weren’t where I wanted them to be I had to finish in order to learn. Now I have the luxury of being able to make mistakes and start over and only when I know the finished birds are at the level of the fish will I finish.
It is said that cardinals are visitors from heaven. That the cardinal represents a loved one who has passed and they have come back to visit and watch over you. Considering the very recent loss of my father, the fact that Josh’s father had recently passed and it just happened to be cardinal material Josh sent to me for study... Well it all breathed new life into an idea I was ready to abandon. In the end, there couldn’t have been a more appropriate species for my first bird carving. I have no regrets about not starting birds sooner... but, I sure wish dad could have seen just one.
My father... dad.
Always faithful
Always consistent
Always reliable
Always helped
Always available
Always around
Always there for us
Always friendly
Always a friend
Always open
Always cheerful
Always worked hard
Always a loving husband
Always a loving father
Always... dad