Emerging Swallows

Hand-Carved “Emerging Barn Swallow” from Cottonwood Bark and Oak Wood and painted with Oils. I blended different art styles - Hyperrealism, Impressionism, and Abstraction into one dynamic woodcarving and sculpture. Consequently, it was challenging, yet one of my most innovative and rewarding sculptures that I have created.

Beautiful to watch, Barn swallows are adept migrating songbirds, which catch insects on the wing. They are disappearing at an alarming rate though (some figures put it as high as 95%). Habitat decline and the use of pesticide to kill insects are major causes. While they were hunted for the hat trade in the 19th century, they are still hunted for food in parts of their wintering range. Discarded string and fishing line wind up in their nests, which can entangle and trap them. On a positive note, barn swallows have benefited from human-made structures and have expanded their range in North America. If you have a suitable building and can provide a source of mud, you can attract these pretty, insect-eating birds. 

While this is the last original emerging swallow available on my website under Emerging Birds, I enjoyed the challenge of carving each original swallows from Cottonwood Bark. Painting each one-of-a-kind work in oil was fun too. 

 I was honored to win first place in Open, Stylized Category at The Charlotte Woodcarvers 41st Annual Showcase of Woodcarvings in Charlotte, N.C., April 2024 with “Emerging Swallow”. In fact, this is my most popular series of wildlife sculpture, which received over 57 million views on Instagram! It is part of my emerging bird series carved in wood. The songbirds/game birds are struggling to free themselves and get away from the material they were carved from. I was inspired by Michelangelo’s “Bound Slaves” for the concept behind this series of sculptures. While some work shows more process, I strive to capture  details, animation, anatomical accuracy, and the essence of my subject matter. 

If you are interested in commissioning me to carve a similar emerging bird or animal in wood, please let me know. Each artwork is original and one-of-a-kind. And these sculptures have been quite the conversation piece too over the course of  when I started them, 20 years ago. Fortunately, you can view many unique examples of this emerging series on my website. Although some of the award winning sculptures are still available, many are in private collections across the world, like this one in Brazil. One emerging sculpture is even in a museum.
I am blessed by all your support and happy to be commissioned in this conceptually engaging and fun series!