Breathtaking Burst

“Breathtaking Burst” -carved, hollowed, textured, and painted wood with an internal metal armature. This original covey rise sculpture depicts five Bobwhite Quail taking flight. It tested every bit of my 40 plus years of experience, taking 11 months to create last year. I prefer the subtractive process of carving in wood to slowly and accurately depict my wildlife subject matter. Although I have been attending SEWE for the past couple of decades, one year I decided to take a scenic route and got lost on a backcountry dirt road. As the sun was just starting to rise, I first saw deer staring into my headlights, and then, I witnessed a sublime moment of a covey of quail taking flight right next to my vehicle! Breathtaking moments such as that as well my ancestor William Bartram’s 18th Century journey through the South inspire my work.

This sculpture won the Award of Excellence at the 2023 Nature Works Art Show, Tulsa, Ok. Additionally, it won the Best of Show Theme, the Lee S. Dukes Memorial Award, and Runner Up Best in Show at the largest woodcarving show in America, the 2024 Charlotte Woodcarvers 41st Annual Showcase of Woodcarvings, Charlotte, N.C.