Canadian National Wildfowl Carving Championship

19 March 2017

     Miriam and I were very happy to attend the above event again this year, where we could marvel at the truly outstanding work done by these carvers. Their output is art in every sense of the word and merits the serious attention of collectors. 

     We were very happy for Tom Weiler, a member of a local club, who had submitted three items and won a ribbon, or honourable mention, for all three, I joked to Tom that I would have to exhibit them in my home to really appreciate their beauty and he rejoined that there were times when he was carving and painting them he would gladly have given them to me!

      Congratulations Tom on a job well done and the appreciation it garnered, not only from the judges but from the discerning public who came to the show.

       As was the case last year, I was stunned by the lack of attention to the basic requirements of spelling. Surely in a NATIONAL championship it is not unreasonable to expect that someone would proof read the cards to ensure that the names of the birds are spelled correctly. To the right of Tom's Belted Kingfisher above you see the card saying Red Headed Woodpecker and not Red-headed Woodpecker. The difference is profound and the incorrect nomenclature effectively changes the bird to a different and non-existent species.

      A wide variety of waterfowl was on display, beautifully rendered to be sure.

    

       Here are two admirable carvings of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a Red-winged Blackbird.

     Again, both names are spelled incorrectly. I might ask rhetorically if no one checks anything, but the answer is obviously no.

    The Chipping Sparrow below is a gorgeous rendition of this familiar species and here the spelling is just plain sloppy (Spparow instead of Sparrow). It is not even a misrepresentation of the bird's name.

     It truly is a shame that Linda would not check her card a little more closely, or perhaps she has no influence over it.

     This Baltimore Oriole had us all filled with appreciation. Every component has to be carved and we wondered at the fine detail of the leaves and speculated as to how many might have been broken before perfection was achieved.

     A Cuban Tody brought back memories for us of this gorgeous little bird seen so frequently on our last two visits to Cuba.

     A Grey Catbird always delights us and we are looking forward to its return. And we will be sure to spell its name correctly whenever we refer to it. It is a Grey Catbird and not simply Catbird.

     Furthermore, the artist is designated as being from Dartmouth, Nova instead of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Is it really so hard to get the right information on these tags?

     A Blue Jay, a familiar species to us all, was rendered beautifully.

     How about this Golden-crowned Kinglet? Captured to a tee don't you think?

     Once again the named is misspelled. A Golden Crowned Kinglet would be quite a different bird from a Golden-crowned Kinglet.

      This Gyrfalcon was so lifelike, you almost expected it to move when viewed from certain angles.

     The same could be said of this Peregrine Falcon.

     My good friend, Bill Wilson, a distinguished birder and a carver of great merit exhibited an American Three-toed Woodpecker. This species is well known for its proclivity to forage 

in freshly burned areas and I think that Bill has captured this behaviour wonderfully.

     This show represents an amazing opportunity for carvers to enter their works into competition and to have the general public appreciate their fine work. It is too bad that the peripheral aspects of it lend this Mickey Mouse quality to it.

     I bet that the next time you visit the Louvre you won't see signs directing you to the Mona Liza, or a visit to the McMichael Gallery won't reveal the works of the Group of Sevven, or urge you to examine a canvas by A.Y. Jackksn. 

     If anyone reading this wishes to take me up on this, I would happy to proof read the cards next year before they are printed. It can only benefit the show and the dedicated artists who put so much effort into it.