Nene Goose in the rough

Terry's sister, Diane, came for a visit from Hawaii the summer of 2008. The Hawaii state bird is the Nene Goose. He decided to carve her one and started on it that fall. He was still stuck carving at the garage workbench during that time. The lower left picture shows the rough cut-out of the Nene. Lower right is after he's carved the form and before the head was attached. The body of the goose is cottonwood the head is Tupelo wood. It's a very hands on process as you can tell from the way he cradles the wood while carving.

Green Winged Teal Drake

The Green Winged Teal is a very nice piece that Terry finished March 2010. When it came time for the Quack Shack to be taped and textured he worked out a trade with cousin Peggy. She did the work and he carved her a duck. It's life size at 10 1/2 in long and 5 1/2 in to top of head.

View of Quack Shack from lake

My cousin Dan took this picture from the lake of the house and Quack Shack.

Quack Shack View

These pictures were taken from the Quack Shack Deck. Between the two spruce trees to the left of the dock is where the duck feeder sits. In the summer there is plenty of activity as the mama's bring in the babies. To the right is the greenhouse and to the left is looking down the end of the lake. The view from the Quack Shack is better than from the house.

Quack Shack Studio

After spending 4 years carving at the cramped garage workbench, in the summer of 2009 we added 12 feet to the back of the garage and built Terry a studio to work in. Before there was one small window partially blocked by his tool box, flourescent lighting, and not very good heating. His feet were always cold. So the studio has in floor heat, four big windows on the front and two on the side. The picture to the left is his carving area. Beneath the counter is the chute for the dust collector that sucks up the sawdust he creates. To the right is the area he will use for painting. That way when he gets tired of working on one thing he can move to another.
He has a refrigerator that he keeps stocked with "libations" and a sink. The garage window is now a walk through door. Next to it is the cabinet he keeps stock with his cut-outs. Behind the closet door is the dust collector to help keep the sound down when it's running. Last, but not least, he has a TV, stereo, satillite receiver and DVD player. Mounted on the walls are 2 speakers that are generally blaring our version of oldies but goodies; hits from the 70's and 80's.

It is a man cave that surpasses most man cave's. He spends most of his days out there and thoroughly enjoys it.

Northern Shoveler Drake

The Northern Shoveler is very colorful and their wide beak makes them stand out. The look in his eye and angle of his head makes him look like a duck the other ducks would not want to mess with. He is life size at 13 in. long and 5 1/2 in. to top of head.

Bufflehead Drake

The Bufflehead is smaller than the other ducks. He is 10 in. long by 3 1/2 in. to top of head. Although not as colorful as the other ducks, the tilt of his head and the feather detail on his back makes him look quite real.

Nuthatch

I kept this Nuthatch. I really liked him, he sits among the ducks Terry has carved. He is very lifelike; looks poised and ready for flight.

Chickadee's

I wish I had better pictures of the Chickadee's, but they have gone on to live in other homes so these are the best I have. They are lifesize and look like the ones that flit around on our birdfeeder.

Cardinal and Mallard Walking Stick

Terry's mom likes cardinals so he carved this piece for her. He really enjoyed carving it then creating the habitat for it to sit on. He then wanted to try something different so he polished a piece of diamond willow then carved a mallard drakes head to create a walking stick for his mom. They are lovely pieces and hold places of honor in her home.

Rubber Ducky Bookends

Terry made these for our niece and nephew. He used a Rubber Ducky as his model. At first they were going to be just the ducks for the kids. I suggested he make them into bookends, which I think turned out rather cute.

Mallard Drake

This Mallard Drake is quite regal as Terry has him in the alert pose. The detail in the head and tail feathers are quite good. He and the Mallard Hen make good companion pieces. He is life size at 13 in. long and 7 1/2 in. to the top of his head.

Mallard Hen

This my favorite piece. She is so realistic. Her feathers look as if they would be soft to the touch. The tilt of her head reminds me of the inquistive look the mama ducks get when watching out for thier babies. She is life size and sits 13 in. long and 5 in. tall to the top of her head.

Wood Duck Drake

The Wood Duck has a very distinctive head and coloring. Terry was excited yet nervous about working on his first life size carving. It's made out of cotton wood, is 12 in. long by 7 in. tall. It sits on a lower shelf only because Terry is so quick to point out all of its flaws. I think it's a great second piece and shows the potential he had for becoming a true artist.

Small Mallard Drake

For several years I listened to Terry talk about wanting to learn how to carve ducks. I even bought him a couple books on the subject, but he learns best by example. We live on a lake and feed the wild ducks every summer. There were a couple years we got what was supposed to be wild ducks and raised them. They even thought Terry was their mom and followed him all around the back yard. That has been one of the great delights of living on a lake is the wildfowl that visit us. At the 2005 Holiday Craft Fair he met Rick Scott who was displaying his wood carvings and informed Terry he was planning on teaching carving. Terry signed up and went to his first class in January 2006. This Mallard Drake is his very first carving. It's made out of cotton wood, about 8 in. long and 4 in. tall. It's a good first carving despite all the mistakes he's so quick to point out.