Thirtieth Annual Canadian National Wildfowl Carving Championship

16 March 2019

     For the second year in a row I was invited to be a judge at the Canadian National Wildfowl Carving Championship and I was delighted to accept. It is an unbelievably enjoyable event bringing together the very best of Canadian carvers displaying their works to an admiring public; at the same time competing for honours in their various classes.

     Anne Forler deserves a huge vote of appreciation for the stellar job she did in organizing and controlling the judges on the day. Everything went smoothly and if there were any hitches she handled them so efficiently that no one else even knew. She was assisted very ably this year by my good friend, Larry Livingstone.
     None of this would be possible of course without all the effort and countless hours invested by Peter Fortune, Show Chairman, and his team. They all worked tirelessly before the weekend to ensure that everything ran seamlessly. The show literally could not have taken place without their dedication and hard work, and we owe them our deepest appreciation for a job well done.

     Here is Anne chatting with Bruce Lepper, one of Canada's most distinguished carvers, an artist whose renown has spread beyond our borders. The work that he creates is the stuff of legend.

     I arrived early and it was much quieter than it would be once the show opened to the public and many exhibits were still being set up.

     Owls are always popular subjects for carvers and certainly these enigmatic creatures of the night evoke keen interest from all who witness them - as carvings or in real life!

     After the customary group photograph was taken I was assigned to a team comprising Tim Forler (Anne's uncle) and Ken Hussey, in addition to myself. Both of these gentlemen are expert carvers, with Ken especially applying his skill primarily to contemporary antique works, a realm in which he is unquestionably a master. Tim no longer carves as much as he did formerly and was bemoaning the fact that he had sold most of his output, and now had little left for his grandchildren. His attempts to buy back some of his works gained no traction as the people who bought these works of great beauty had no intention of parting with them.

Tim Forler, Ken Hussey, David Gascoigne

     As was the case last year, my fellow judges were the very model of kindness and civility, a pleasure to work with, a joy to get to know. It goes without saying that I learned a good deal.

     The lighting in the venue is not especially conducive to photography (especially for a duffer like me) and some of my images are a little dark. The following shots do not do justice to a Least Bittern and a Green Heron.

     Much of today's artistic carving has its roots in the working decoys used by hunters in times past, and in the show there is a category featuring decoys that must be capable of self-righting, (as is this Green-winged Teal female), an homage to the past.

     As already mentioned there is a class called Contemporary Antique Decoy with a section for amateurs and another for experts.

     I know that Ken had several works entered and I was glad that we didn't have to judge that category for fear that even the most subliminal bias might creep into my decision.

     At first blush, it might seem that one has wider latitude in this category, but the requirement to closely replicate the integrity of old decoys imposes its own set of demands.

     Many categories feature songbirds and the degree of precision and the renditions of habitat are quite astounding.

     It seems pretty obvious that  the Wood Thrushes above in the novice class all took their inspiration from the same wood carving class or plan!

     Eastern Bluebirds are everyone's favourite and this male no doubt pleased many.

     If the bluebird is popular then so is the Northern Cardinal. Here are three renditions of males.

    And a pair too.

     There is a category called Interpretive Stylized where the artist has full scope to pursue his creative impulses. I thought the carver had used the natural features of the wood to great advantage in this work.

     Once again an owl was a popular choice. The African Pygmy Falcon also shown below was a subject chosen by numerous carvers in different classes this year.

     This Ruffed Grouse was one of my personal favourites of the show. The attention to detail, not only on the bird, but also on the habitat, was superlative.

     Anyone who has ever seen a bee-eater in life (and I have been fortunate to see about two-thirds of the world's species) will know just how entrancing they are and several carvings represented them in the most splendid way imaginable.

     An American Goldfinch, so familiar yet so beautiful, was portrayed to perfection.

     In the category Champagne Awards, miniatures are created, with the name referring to the size of a champagne flute which the carving must not exceed.

     Who among us has not been left gobsmacked by an encounter with a Scarlet Tanager?

      A Pine Grosbeak, set against the winter snow, always seems to me to be somehow like a northern parrot!

     I have only scratched the surface here of all that there was to see. From the rankest newcomer to the art, to the maestros of the genre, everyone who placed his work in the competition deserves our admiration and respect. It is a glorious show indeed, and I would urge all of my birding friends who have not attended this event to mark it on their calendar for next year. 
     For me, it is a distinct highlight in my ornithological year.