It has always been my intention to carve hunting decoys. If I had wanted to make ducks, I would have sat on eggs.
My love for waterfowling began shortly after moving to Delaware. As a duck hunter with a Master of Fine Arts Degree (Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 1968 ) I quickly became disillusioned by the lifeless, commercially made "decoys" that were available. In 1977, I decided to try my hand at something totally alien to an abstract painter-carving hunting decoys.
My first blocks were a group of solid pine diving ducks and in adverse weather some of them did! Eventually, after much trial and error and scathing critiques by my gunning partners, Barry and Bob Hollingsworth, I settled on high density cork as my preferred medium. It is, buoyant, easy to carve, paint, and repair- a decoy maker's dream come true.
All of my decoys are densely painted with Golden acrylic paint, which is glare resistant even on bluebird days. Each decoy is weighted and balanced to ride smoothly and will self right in all conditions. My keels are often offset, which cause the decoys to move actively, even in light wind conditions. The blocks are oversized simply because I feel that they are more visible to the ducks.
Close to thirty years of revising body patterns and varying head positions give the decoys a more lifelike appearance on the water. This probably explains why none of my decoys have ever been exactly alike. I am a prolific carver except during the waterfowl season, when, as with most duck hunters all rational and creative activity almost ceases.
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