Site of the Week- Bird Carver

Having stuck my toe into the world of bird carving, I have been interested in the many ways other carvers approach the topic. Of course, there are toms of carvers making realistic birds with great skill and way more patience than I have. The painting and woodburning detail on some of these birds is just astounding. But as I have stated before, I have a preference for the more stylized carvings including every style from folkish to sleek, natural wood variations. I came across a site with a gallery of beautiful birds by carver Rand Jack. Once at his site, scroll down to the green Gallery button. Sit back and click your way through some photos of absolutely gorgeous birds that show off some beautiful wood that Jack has obviously taken great care to select. He doesn't reveal much about his methods, and even states that email inquires on that subject will be screened out. But I can tell you getting a piece of curly maple to look the way his birds look is a lot of hard work. Maybe more work than burning and painting realistic birds. I might just have to take a crack at something like it to see for myself. To be even more impressed, you might have a look at his Native-American pieces or his stone carvings. The man's got some talent!