Bird / Owl Carvings
Snuggle Hoot (Available)
This little fellow was created from a remnant piece of bark cut off of a larger piece. He is yet another little sleeping owl, just because I think they're so cute, but as an added bonus with this little guy I finally took my wife's advice and started using Chat GPT to offer me up some suggestions for names. It seems to suggest a lot of off the mark things, but every once in a while it comes up with a winner. He measures about 5" x 2.5".
Meh-Feather (Available)
This owl of indifference came as an inspiration from my middle-schooler's baseline attitude towards life nowadays. The look on it's face says it all: "How was your day today?" "meh..." He measures about 8" x 2".
Frost (Available)
This narrow guy is another take on a small snowy owl. He measures about 8.5" x 2".
Short Stack (Available)
This little guy came about from a scrap piece of bark that I cut off another, larger carving. I wanted to incorporate a little perch for his to sit on, and I'm rather fond of the little feather highlights on either side of his head; I think they add a great finishing touch to this plump little guy. He measures about 3.5" x 3.5".
Smolder (Available)
This fellow came together rather easily from a piece of bark that looked, very much, like an owl on a perch to begin with. It's his facial expression that took a bit of experimentation, and the final product is pretty sultry indeed. He measures about 11.5" x 2.5".
Older Designs / Sold Pieces
Twilight (Sold)
The piece of bark that this piece originated from lent itself to the sideways facing owl with the hanging tailfeathers. I am very happy with the feather detail all over this rather serious looking fellow. He measures about 12" x 2".
Nod (Sold)
This sleepy little owl started out as a portion of a larger piece of bark that proved too challenging to carve into one design; so, I broke it apart and created several pieces from that one blank. The natural texture by his feet fits, like a jigsaw piece, onto another one of my carvings. He measures about 6.5" x 2".
Snooze (Sold)
This little guy is yet another take on my basic sleeping owl design. With this piece shot for more of a rounded "moon" face, and I even tried a little tuft of neck feathers to give him some extra texture. He measures about 7" x 2".
ZZZZZ (Sold)
Yet another sleeping owl. He measures about 14" x 2.75".
Pyg (Sold)
For those of you who swung by my booth at the 2018 Latino Art Fair, this is the little fellow who I was working on during the majority of the evening. A simple owl with big puppy-dog eyes, his name comes from his resemblance to a Pygmy Owl. He measures about 7" x 2.5".
Mocking Jay (Sold)
This fellow came about because of the positive response for the Steller's Jays that I carved as graduation presents. The name came about from this guy's attempt to imitate the previous two carvings. He measures about 12" x 2.5".
Fantail (Sold)
This fellow came about from a narrow piece of bark that had a really cool flare out at the bottom. Naturally, he was destined to become an owl with a fanned out tail. I also really like the layered tones of the bark over his face, torso and tail; they really give this little guy an extra bit of dimension. He measures about 13" x 2.25".
Flurry (Sold)
This little guy was an experiment with a small piece of scrap bark. I wanted to see how quickly and detailed I could carve a tiny owl. His name comes from his resemblance to a miniature Snowy Owl. He measures about 4.5" x 3".
Dart (Sold)
This little guy was another experiment I tried with a small piece of scrap bark. I wanted to see how quickly and detailed I could carve a tiny owl. His name comes from his sleek design and how he looks like he's ready to dart into the air. He measures about 5" X 2.5".
Dreamer (Sold)
This sleeping owl was a fun, basic design. I really like his sleek lines and his asymmetrical tail feathers. He measures about 7" x 2.5".
Grumpy the Owl (Sold)
Yet another bird... Named for his rather irritated expression. He measures about 6.5" x 2.5".
Flattop (Sold)
Yet another bird with a serious demeanor. His name comes from his choice of sweet hairdo. He measures about 7.5" x 2".
Spectre (Sold)
As my owl / bird carvings get more and more popular, I find I am creating more and more to keep up with demand. This seriously ghostly fellow is one of my latest. He measures about 9.5" x 2".
Ruffled Feathers (Sold)
This is a piece I started while manning my booth at the 2021 Crafty Fair. I really like the contrast of his hexagonal torso feathers and his smooth wing feathers. His name came about from the seemingly perturbed look on his face. He measures about 8.5" x 3"
Little Archie (Sold)
This serious looking fellow was one of the pieces I began working on while manning my booth at the June Garver Feed Mill art market here in Madison. His name comes from his slight resemblance to one of my previous owl carvings: Archimedes from The Sword in the Stone. He measures about 8.5" x 3".
Night Watch (Sold)
This great horned owl was named after the watchful expression on his face. He is one of my larger pieces measuring about 15" x 4.5".
Flutter (Sold)
This tiny owl was a piece that I began working on while manning my art market booths earlier this summer. I had a small scrap of bark and my goal was to carve an owl as quickly as I could. Well, as soon as he was finished he was claimed by my eldest daughter (her two younger siblings had already claimed owl carvings and she was feeling left out). Who am I to deny my first born? This tiny guy measures in at 4.5" x 3".
Little Hoot (Sold)
This tiny guy came about from a small piece of scrap bark that I really didn't know what to do with. I really like the way the feather pattern on his torso came out, and how he kind of resembles a pine cone. He is one of my smallest carvings measuring in at about 4.75" x 2".
Steller M.R.H. (Sold)
This stellar blue jay was created as a graduation gift for my nephew, Michael. The Stellar Jay is his school mascot, so it was an obvious choice for a carving. The head has been burned to resemble a stellar jays feathers, and the name of piece is the name of my nephew's school along with his initials. This piece measures about 11" x 3".
Steller A.R.E.P. (Sold)
This stellar blue jay was created as a graduation gift for my nephew's girlfriend, Alana. The Stellar Jay is her school mascot, so it was an obvious choice for a carving. The head has been burned to resemble a stellar jays feathers, and the name of piece is the name of her school along with her initials. This piece measures about 10" x 3".
Zip (Sold)
This little guy originated from a 'sliver-like' piece of bark that I found difficult to discover a design that fit with the shape and size. The result is what appears to be a hybrid of an owl, a hummingbird, and a bee. Regardless, he looks to me as if he can really zip! He measures about 8" x 2".
Midnight (Sold)
This is another one of my pieces that I had originally intended to be something else. I started work on this piece around the time I started carving (probably circa 2012) and had begun with the intention of carving a spartan / roman helmet (at the time I was certain I could branch out to carve helmets and hats from various time periods; bad idea at the time). I just couldn't get the bark to do what I wanted. So, I set it in a box, partially carved, and there is waited until a few weeks ago. As I was searching for interesting shaped blanks I came across this piece and immediately saw this owl shape in the form that I had previously screwed up. This guy is the reason why I always tend to save pieces even if they don't work for me to begin with; they always seem to come around eventually. His name came about after much debate, but he was actually named by my oldest daughter (who seems to help me out more and more these days). He measures about 10" x 4"
Hibou (Sold)
This piece came about because, as I was working on some other pieces a few months ago, my oldest daughter and her friend swiped one of my bark blanks and decided they would design a piece. The piece made it back on to my desk about an hour later with rough pencil lines all over it, outlining an owl, and the name on a slip of paper. I used their rough outline, modifying it to better fit the piece, and this guy was the result. It's kinda fun when I get my kids to doodle on pieces and see where the carving goes from there. The name they arrived at? Well, simply put, it's "owl" in French. He measures about 10.5" x 3"
Elfie (Sold)
This fellow is my most detailed owl to date, and my goal was to incorporate as many different textures as I could into one piece. I was worried that he may look too busy or cluttered when complete, but after seeing the finished product I think the textures end up being very complimentary. His name came about because he most closely resembles an Elf Owl. He measures about 11.25" x 2.5".
Barney (Sold)
When I decided to try my hand at some owl designs, this troublemaker was one of the earliest pieces I penciled in. However, from day one he gave me issues and refused to work with the picture in my head. It looks like a year in 'time out' helped him to get his act together. I am very pleased with the way he eventually turned out, but he could've been a little more accommodating earlier on. His name comes from the type of owl he's designed after. He measures about 8.5" x 2.5".
Nightfall (Sold)
This fellow marks my return to owl carving after quite some time. I really like how the laying turned out in his feathers. His seriously determined expression lead me to picture him as a viscous nocturnal predator, hence his name. He measures about 9" x 2.5"
Bandit (Sold)
Those who swung by my booth at Yahara Bay's Black Friday Art Market may recognize this as one of the pieces I was working on in my spare time. I am fond of all the layers that this little fellow sports, and his name (incidentally) comes from the 'bandit mask' he's wearing. He measures about 7.5" x 2".
Slumber (Sold)
With this owl I decided to go in a little more whimsical direction. Who doesn't love a cuddly, sleeping owl? This little guy has the added bonus of having a flat bottom as well, so he can either hang on the wall or snuggle up on a shelf. He measures about 8" x 3" .
Great Horned Sleeper (Sold)
This fellow is a napping great horned owl. The interesting thing about this guy is that he came from an unusually flat piece of bark with great natural edges that I have been trying to figure out what to do with for many years. I am very happy with the juxtaposition of rough, natural edges and smooth, central design on this fellow and it appears as though he was worth the wait for inspiration. As one of my larger pieces, he measures about 13.5" x 4.5".
Joyous (Sold)
This guy took to the path of clean lines and simple design, juxtaposed by the detail in the tufted feathers on his head, much like one of my earlier birds. His big eyes, and the happy expression that they bring, gave him his name. He measures about 10.5" x 3".
Screech (Sold)
This little fellow chose a much simpler path of clean lines than some of my other owls, but I think it suits him. I'm very happy with the way the natural layers in the bark highlight his face and upper wing and I really like the accent of his tufted feathers. His name came about because of his slight resemblance to a screech owl. He measures about 7" x 2.5".
Nightshade (Sold)
This piece is one of my larger bird pieces and proved a little bit of a challenge when completing all of the layering. However, I couldn't be happier with the amount of detail I was able to pack into this guy. I especially like the way his ghostly, hollow eyes turned out; I think they really lend themselves to his nocturnal predations. His name was originally meant for one of my earlier bird pieces, but I wound up changing it at the last minute because it didn't quite fit the personality of that piece; now, I'm very happy that I did. He measures about 15" x 4".
Flip (Sold)
This fellow proved to be another little troublemaker who spent over a year sitting on my work desk. It took a while to work out his overall shape and feather pattern, but he turned out better than my original design. He was named by my children because of the cute little flip he's doing with his right-hand wing. He measures about 10" x 2.5".
Archimedes (Sold)
This ruffled fellow acts as a crossover between my Arthurian knights and bird carvings. Here,'s to a little 'Sword in the Stone' nostalgia.
Red (Sold)
At nearly twice the size of most of my other pieces, this wizened old owl is one of my largest carvings to date. His name was derived from a certain grocery store advertising character popular over thirty years ago.
Woodsy (Sold)
Minus the hat, this fellow gets his name from a certain spokesperson who really wants you to recycle.
Sparrow (Sold)
This piece was originally modelled after a barn owl; however, as I've said in the past, sometimes the wood has a mind of it's own. As the carving got closer to completion, he became more and more slender and streamlined. He also had a completely different name, but when all was said and done his missile-like body reminded much more of a sparrow than an owl.
Lucy (Sold)
This was one of my earliest bird designs, and with all the diamonds sprawled across her body, I figured she couldn't have a more fitting name.
Sam (Sold)
You can't really have a more appropriate name for an eagle, not to mention he came out looking a lot like the Muppet with the same name.
Who...? (Sold)
A little smaller than most, this fellow was inspired by the positive feedback for the first owl carving. I am particularly happy with the shape of his face and the way piece fades into the natural bark edge along the bottom.
Hoot (Sold)
This whimsical fellow was my very first attempt at an owl carving, something a little outside of my wheelhouse at the time. I rather enjoy the small embellishments on this piece in the ears and wing tips that add just the right amount of detail.
