No, I haven't been hiding.

[Doc Mark]

Although I've been reading the Forum religously every day, I have not been engraving for a couple of months. The reason is shown in the attached photos. One of my other artistic endeavors is Wildfowl Carving and this is my latest effort. At the end of April, every year, there is an international competition for this art form. It is held in Ocean City, Maryland and is sponcered by the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art based in Salsbury, MD. The Ward World Competion brings in hundreds of carvers from around the world and there are thousands of entries. The level of carving talent is phenominal. The make-up of the contestants is very similar to the CAFE. There are raw beginners all the way up to extrordinary Masters who make a full time job carving for collectors. Some of the Master works command prices in excess of $100,000! Needless to say, I am not in that category! I usually carve only one or two birds per year now that I've discovered engraving. I used to do many more but now must ration my time more carefully. (So many hobbies, so little time) Anyway, this is a miniature Harris Hawk, the bird is about 7 inches in length. I entered in the Advanced Category this year and won 3rd place for the Miniature Birds of Prey Category. There is only a small monitary prize, at this level, but it at least covers your entry fee! But of course, the pleasure of having your work judged by some of the worlds' greatest carvers and being found worthy of merit, is the real reward! So, I just wanted to let you guys and gals see what I've been up to and I promise to get back to making METAL CHIPS instead of wood ones, as soon as possible.

Have a fun and safe Holiday Weekend,

Mark

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Mark

That is WOW work you have done there. Just beautiful. When I first looked at it, before I read the words, I thought it was a taxadermey job. The level of detail is superb. That's one of the things I really like about this forum, looking at all this kind of thing that I wouldn't otherwise get to see.

Congratulations on the place getting as well. Your carving sure deserves it.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[vanknife]

Absolute stunning Mark, Congratulations and thanks for showing you art

 

[Peter E]

I can easily see why that won a prize. Stunning is absolutely right. If you care to post more pictures of carvings, it would be a pleasure to see them.

Thanks,
Peter

 

[Sam]

Mark, that's some remarkable work. Obviously a LOT of time goes into something with that much detail. Bravo! / ~Sam

 

[Steve223]

Wow thats amazing...Very very nice

 

[Abigail]

That's incredible! Could you please post some more pics of your carvings?
Abigail

 

[Marcus Hunt]

Mark, that is beautiful. How on earth do you go about a project like this? Do you work from a series of photographs or a stuffed bird? I imagine if it's from photos getting the proportions exact must be a nightmare.

Congratulations on your placing too!

 

[Otto Carter]

That is some incredible work. What kind of wook do you use? Are the eyes glass or wood? What kind of paint do you use?

 

[D.DOUGLAS]

Outstanding! looks very lifelike to me. We have alot of duck decoy carvers in my area. I think this would keep the rabbits out of my garden. Great job

 

[walrafen]

Among my many accumulations are wooden carvings... both hobos and birds ...and your hawk would rate a central focal point in any display. Fantastic work Mark!!! Hope some of your upcoming metal chips will be composed of nickel... 75%copper and 25%nickel truth be told. You set high standards for other carvers to aspire to in my opinion. All the best- V-Dubya

 

[Ron Smith]

Wow Doc!. that is outstanding. I don't see how it could get much better than that! I LOVE THIS STUFF!!...........If I wasn't an engraver that is what i would like to do, but like you, too many hobbies, not enough time..........EXCELLENT!!!!!

 

[John B.]

Hi Doc Mark.
Thank you for showing your beautiful carving art.
Very much enjoy seeing it, wonderful detail.
Glad to see you back. I was getting a little worried.
Best regards, and congratulations on your prize.
John B.

 

[Tim Wells]

I don't know there Doc. I hope you don't engrave near as good as you carve, else I'm gonna give up and throw my tools in the sea. Mighty nice work; I'd love to own one of those someday.

I saw an eagle in a glass case in a woodworking store one time in Evansville, IN and it looked real; you'd swear it was about to flap its wings and jump off the branch. I've no idea who carved it.

 

[Magnus Jensen]

Hi Mark,

Yes yes great GREEEEAAAAAT Fabulous stunning breathtaking ...........please do you have more pictures!!!!

 

[Doc Mark]

Thanks for the kudos guys and gals.

In answer to some of your posted questions and some that were asked via direct mail: Marcus: yes I work from photos and published measurements. Otto & others: I use Tupelo wood for the bird and Bass wood for the branch. Tupelo is a swamp tree that grows quite tall but only the bottom 4 ft. or so can be used for carving. It is a remarkable wood, very light and the grain can almost be ignored! You can carve it to the point of paper-thin tranparency and it will still be strong enough to burn the feather details. The stand is Butternut. The eyes are glass and they are the only commercial product you're allowed to use. Everything else must be handmade. Even the branch must be carved from a block of wood. You can't just sneak out into the woods and pick up a likely candidate! Darn...! You are allowed to reinforce legs and any other items needed to mount the piece with metal and epoxy putties. The paint is usually either Jo Sonjas' or Liquitex acrylics.

I missed even more engraving time and I'm blaming Sam and the rest of you guys who got me started into Digital Photo manipulation. I bought Photoshop-6 a few months ago and have spent hours trying to learn how to really use it. I'm not gotten past the basics yet, but I'm already considering moving up to CS-3 just because I've read so many good things about the program. Again...so many hobbies, so little time!

Anyway, thanks again for all your comments, now back to work!

Mark

 

[Dave London]

Mark
Thanks for the photos great work. I also carve birds but not to the Ward championship level though. Congratualtions. Very elite company The Metal chips dont bother my algeries like the wood does

 

[Jim-Iowa]

Mark placing third in your class in one of the most prestigeous woodcarving contests(correct me if I'm wrong) in the country is no small feat. Proud of Ya!!
The bird is awesome, When you top that one please share!
Oh can I brag and tell people I know ya?
I make a lot of chips, but am thinking of changing to oak as a carving wood, so I can at least use it for tinder when I'm done

 

[Patternweldor]

Hi Mark.. The carving is just fantastic!! It is so hard to bring out the personality of the bird, to get the eye set so it has the right "glint", you have really accomplished that....what a beautiful job!!!!! to me its a first place winner...

Thanks for showing this...
Chris

 

[Mike Cirelli]

That's a beautiful carving Mark. Very anatomically realistic.
Keep up the great work.
Mike