A photo on the Easton Waterfowl Festival Web site (www.waterfowlfestival.org) is of an Eastern Shore pond in which sits the bow of a weather-worn partially sunken skiff. Two green-winged teal rest on the front deck, protecting their three ducklings. Reeds have grown from splits in the deck of the waterlogged scow, and a hen pintail, wings outstretched, soars past the reeds.
It is a beautiful photo of a typical marsh scene. And while the pond is real, the rest of the scene is not. It’s tupelo gum, 16-gauge metal and 100-year-old barn boards. The almost 7-foot-tall art creation was placed in the pond specifically for the photo.
The life-size work is the Masterpiece Carving created by Eastern Shore father-and-son team Larry Tawes Sr. and Jr. Their “Pintail Point” is the centerpiece of the many carving and art exhibits at the Easton Waterfowl Festival next weekend, Nov. 14-16.
The festival, in its 38th year, features the very best of waterfowl art and carving. Those chosen for the Masterpiece Carving are selected several years in advance, so that they can develop, experiment and — over a long year — create a carving that is the epitome of the art.
While such carvings evolved from practical basswood and pine waterfowling decoys, these carvings are as far removed from working decoys as a basic shotgun from a fine Purdy double. This is the first year that a team of two carvers has been selected to create one exhibit.
The Tawes are a perfect team, since both have been carving for almost 40 years. Tawes Sr., 72, started carving as a sideline to his masonry business. He also credits his son with teaching him the finer points of waterfowl painting. Tawes Jr., 51, credits his father with teaching him carving basics at a young age. Both have also had interim careers — Sr. working as a boat builder and Jr. dredging oysters and captaining summer fishing trips.
“Winters were pretty tough,” said Tawes Sr. of his early brick-laying occupation. Tawes Jr. started carving at 13, a few months after his father began. In a few years, both were selling carvings and working professionally.
Attending various carving and waterfowl shows came later, with both winning ribbons and prizes over the years. Along the way, they have cross-pollinated to trade carving and painting ideas and techniques. The result is a blend of methods that makes for a seamless rendition in “Pintail Point.” For this work of art, Tawes Sr. made the hen pintail, wings stretched out in flight. As a former boat builder, he also created the skiff — the base of the assemblage — from the old barn boards. Tawes Jr. crafted the pair of green-winged teal and the ducklings. Together they worked on the metal reeds and other details.
Work on any carving begins with an idea. Fortunately, both artists had the same concept for their joint effort. The carving began with roughing out duck bodies with a band saw. The wings of the pintail were done separately and are pinned in place. The Taweses, along with most carvers today, use tupelo gum, a Southern swamp wood that does not crack or split as do sugar pine, cedar and basswood that were used in the past.
“I get as close as I can get it to a duck with the band saw,” said Tawes Sr. of the initial operation. “I’ve got a Fordham tool — sort of like a larger version of a dentist’s drill — that I use next.” After carving, he continues with sanding, alternating with a high-tech wood-burning tool to accentuate the feathers and details. Once in a final carved state, a sealer is added, followed by several coats of primer and then detailing with acrylic paints.
“I spent 31 days painting the hen pintail for this carving,” said Tawes Sr. of the time consuming finishing process.
Tawes Jr. works the same way, using live ducks as models. Under a required permit system, he has a 20-by-30-foot aviary next to his shop that holds 22 pairs of ducks.
“That’s my reference,” Tawes Jr. said of his collection of quackers. “When I carve a duck, I bring a duck into my shop and end up looking at it eight hours a day.”
You can check the results of the Tawes’ work at the festival. For hours, admission and all the other events, check the Web site, or call 410-822-4567.
