David Parks
Decoy Carving is the self -taught occupation of David Parks that began in the mid 1980’s as a hobby.
Long Billed Curlews are David’s favourite bird, having grown up with them in his native Ireland. You will find many different Curlew styles in his appropriately named ‘The Curlew Workshop.’ Some are of his own design while others are in the tradition of the early carvers who made Curlew decoys. In fact, David relies on the styles of the early traditions and much research goes into the making of each of his decoys so that they replicate the originals as closely as possible.
In days gone by, shorebirds migrating up the Atlantic seaboard from Central & South America were hunted for food and feathers. As the demand increased, populations of the birds that were once so bountiful it was said that they “darkened the sky,” decreased alarmingly, and certain species became extinct. Fortunately the passage of the Migratory Bird Act of 1918 ended commercial hunting of shorebirds. The act also ended decoy production for hunting purposes. Those few remaining decoys are classified as North America Folk Art and are highly prized.
It was shortly before the cessation of the hunting of shorebirds, that the mantel bird came into existence. Hunters would order decoys and include some for their mantelpiece. Thus the two-legged mantel bird was created specifically for this non-hunting purpose and is an integral part of the lore of the shorebird decoy.
Hand carving shorebird decoys gives David great satisfaction as the image emerges form the wood. These decoys are highly imaginative works of art and represent a by-gone era.
Decoy Carving is the self -taught occupation of David Parks that began in the mid 1980’s as a hobby.
Long Billed Curlews are David’s favourite bird, having grown up with them in his native Ireland. You will find many different Curlew styles in his appropriately named ‘The Curlew Workshop.’ Some are of his own design while others are in the tradition of the early carvers who made Curlew decoys. In fact, David relies on the styles of the early traditions and much research goes into the making of each of his decoys so that they replicate the originals as closely as possible.
In days gone by, shorebirds migrating up the Atlantic seaboard from Central & South America were hunted for food and feathers. As the demand increased, populations of the birds that were once so bountiful it was said that they “darkened the sky,” decreased alarmingly, and certain species became extinct. Fortunately the passage of the Migratory Bird Act of 1918 ended commercial hunting of shorebirds. The act also ended decoy production for hunting purposes. Those few remaining decoys are classified as North America Folk Art and are highly prized.
It was shortly before the cessation of the hunting of shorebirds, that the mantel bird came into existence. Hunters would order decoys and include some for their mantelpiece. Thus the two-legged mantel bird was created specifically for this non-hunting purpose and is an integral part of the lore of the shorebird decoy.
Hand carving shorebird decoys gives David great satisfaction as the image emerges form the wood. These decoys are highly imaginative works of art and represent a by-gone era.
You can see more of David Parks fabulous work at http://www.sidestreetstudio.com/
