Gary M. Starr
Starr Decoys
782 Weybridge Road
Weybridge, VT 05753-9548
t. 802-388-6552
888-883-8574
gstarr@together.net
www.starrdecoys.com
Bird Carvings
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Gary M. Starr Starr Decoys t. 802-388-6552
888-883-8574 Bird Carvings |
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| I founded
Starr Decoys 20 years ago after many years in the Hospitality Industry
including ten years as Director of Food Services at Middlebury College.
Carving and collecting wildlife sculptures represented a return to a
family tradition started in 1948 by my father, Dr. George Starr of Duxbury,
MA. Dad had over 2000 decoys in our home, a gathering place for carvers
and collectors, where he wrote "Decoys of the Atlantic Flyway".
I carved my first bird, a small-scale black duck at nine years old in 1957
with my dad. I work alone in my new studio crafting my carvings out of Vermont basswood from the linden tree. The clean lines of traditional working decoys inspire my designs. When a carving looks finished, it must feel right or additional carving is required. For seven years I have made a series of wall hangings/ornaments, which now include 51 species. The 2005 additions include Mallard, Black-capped Vireo, Cape Parrot, and White-throated Sparrow. In 1999, I built a new studio/gallery beside my house using a century old post and beam frame from a farm in Granville, VT. The move from my shop in the basement to the new space allows me much needed room and natural light. Starr Decoys and the new barn were featured in the April/May 2000 issue of Vermont Magazine. I am presently serving on the Frog Hollow Craft Committee and United Way Allocations Committee. Decoys are a unique American art form created over 1000 years ago by Indians using mud, reeds and skin. The romance of the decoys lies in the people who made them and the way they were used in the natural environment. Because the exact replica of a duck is difficult to create and impractical for use under most gunning conditions, decoy making became an art of symbolic expression. A functional simplicity of line is evident in the better examples of this utilitarian folk art form. Special thanks to my wife, Kathy for supplying office and moral support and my dog, Bailey, for working on the bark. |
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