PAINTING AND CARVING THE BIRDS
Once I decide which bird to carve, reference material and photos are obtained. Cutouts based on the bird pattern are cut on a bandsaw. The birds are most often carved out of tupelo wood, using rotary-shaft power carvers to rough shape the bird. Finer feather details are added with ruby and diamond bits and ceramic stones in a Foredom micromotor hand piece tool. Flight feather details are burned in with fine wood-burning pens. The eyes are glass taxidermy eyes, and the toes are either handmade or pewter casts
The birds are painted with fine washes of acrylic paint in order to gradually build up the quality and intensity of the colors.
Fine brushes are used to paint feather details.
Suitable habitat material is made and then the bird is mounted on a base. Each bird is serially numbered and is a one-of-a-kind original.
Thought For The Day: "Always Be Finishing Something"