Lovey Dovey

“Lovely Dovey” is a new sculpture featuring Mourning Dove and Morning Glory. I  carved and detailed the birds in wood and painted them with acrylics and oils. During courtship, pairs preen each other with gentle nibbles around the neck. They may even grasp beaks as they bob their heads up and down in unison. While Mourning Doves sometimes reuse their own or other species’ nests, they also commonly build nests in hanging flower pots or other human-made structures. Finally, both birds tend to the nest taking turns sitting on their eggs as depicted in this original. It won third place overall in a fine art competition (professional division) wildlife category at The Georgia National Fair in Perry, Georgia. Also, it won first place in open division gamebirds at The Charlotte Woodcarvers Showcase of Woodcarving in Charlotte, North Carolina. After the competition, one of the judges came up to me and said, that he would have awarded this work Best in Show; however, he thought that I had used a real nest. I didn’t! I painstakingly created my own using wood shavings, metal wires, and thickened paper. It’s a joy of love though!