Jim
was thirty-five years old and living in Conklin, NY, on the banks of
the Susquehanna River, when he tackled the challenge of turning a
block of wood into an identifiable replica of a live duck—a decoy
that he could hunt over. An avid hunter, he was not satisfied with
using factory-made decoys that all looked out over water at the same
angle. He wanted different head positions so that his decoys would
be more realistic.
At that time, Jim was spending his weekends and holidays at a
cottage that he owned on the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence
River. Knowing that decoy carvers would be at the Decoy & Art
Show in Clayton, NY (also on the St. Lawrence River), Jim boated
over to learn more and there had the great fortune to meet Ken
Harris, the man who soon became his mentor and friend. He made the
trek to Ken’s studio once a week for the next year and continued
to refine his carving techniques.
The first birds that Jim carved were cork Black Ducks that he
used for hunting. In decorative carving he started with smaller
birds that would be easier to handle and would also use less wood.
The burning pen had just been introduced, so even some of his
earliest birds had feather detail.
In 1971 Jim and friends were hunting on Tangiers Island in the
Chesapeake Bay when he learned that there was a World Championship
of Waterfowl Carving in Salisbury, MD. He immediately set his sights
on winning as many blue ribbons as possible. The first time that Jim
brought ducks to a show for judging, he didn’t realize that his
decoys would be judged floating in a water tank. Because they weren’t
hollowed out, they wouldn’t float upright.
This was truly an educational experience and Jim vowed that he
would never again come unprepared to a competition. Having pitched
for eleven years in professional baseball, Jim had never learned to
lose, and he was not about to let anyone get the best of him in this
new challenge.
Involvement in competitions turned carving into an addiction for
Jim. In 1974 on the advice of a friend, Jim built his own aviary. He
collected over 20 different birds, most of the North American
species of waterfowl. Studying these birds enabled Jim to move from
carving ‘static’ birds with stiff neck and head positions to
creating preening birds in more lifelike positions. Very early on
Jim won a Best of Show, Amateur Class. This forced him to compete at
the Professional level, and from that point Jim has won over 30 Best
of Show awards in major competitions throughout the United States
and Canada.
