Posts by The Wooden Bird

Folks new to carving often ask, “How do I get started?” Well, usually it starts with a block of wood or a cutout, something to carve and shape the block, and some paint. That is a very gross understatement. The list of helpful items for carving gets pretty long pretty fast. I have compiled a…

When Labrador Quarterly Staffer, Terry Swanson received her hand carved Pintail Drake, she thought readers might enjoy learning a bit more about the artist, Rick Mignano and the process of creating a lifelike Wooden Bird. Rick Mignano is a decorative duck carver living in Barrington, IL., a northwest suburb of Chicago, IL. Decoys The first…

The History of Decoy Carving  Duck decoys are considered a vital form of North American Folk Art, having been revered and collected for over a century. Native Americans knew that birds attract other birds, and for more than 1,000 years they made decoys adorned with feathers, brush, and mud for hunting purposes. Early colonists took note and…