Photography by Kathi Ferguson
Meet the renowned artists who’ve perfected the craft of waterfowl carving
Captain Bill Collins was in the process of painting the feathers on a Mallard Drake decoy as he shared highlights of his journey to becoming one of the most sought-after decoy carvers and painters in the state of Maryland. “There are two different elements of this art,” he informs me. “Carving and painting. Fortunately, I have become proficient at both.”
Maryland’s history and tradition of waterfowl hunting and American decoy carving is as rich as any in the nation. Every year, an abundance of ducks and Canada geese claim their portion of the sky during fall migration, populating this marshy rich land from Havre de Grace and the Susquehanna Flats at the upper part of the Bay, to Chincoteague and along the Eastern Shore.
Decoys have been an essential tool in luring birds within shooting range for thousands of years. Before the wooden version appeared, some of which date back to the 1700s, Native Americans across North America made floating duck decoys from things such as cattails, bulrush, or other grasses to entice waterfowl to area roosting spots. Perhaps the most creative and effective of these ancient hunting tools was the tule duck decoy. (Tule is a tall, large reed that grows along shorelines that was also dyed and woven to make baskets, bowls, mats, hats, and clothing.) Duck skins from earlier kills were often stretched over the decoy, making them appear very lifelike. Sometimes, the waterfowl’s feathers were woven onto the decoy and tied on with hemp strings, with some of the heads and necks painted to match the colors of the particular species.
Like many carvers, this is where Collins started—making decoys as a tool. “Carving has developed into more of an art form over the years, and is much more detailed,” he claims. “Collectors often focus on a particular fashion of decoy, paint style, or maker, and have become more discriminating in what they purchase. In today’s world, decoys are less of a necessity and more of a luxury.”
Born and raised in Perryville, Maryland, Collins always loved the outdoors and began hunting and fishing at an early age. “I was ten or twelve years old when my dad took me and my brother, James, squirrel hunting,” Collins says. “My first experience in making decoys came when I was in high school. James also taught me about waterfowl hunting, and we worked repairing and painting our own decoys.”
Photography by Kathi Ferguson
Collins’ pathway to becoming a full-time decoy carver was much less conventional however. After graduating high school in 1967, he spent a year studying computer programming in Baltimore, but soon realized it was not for him. The loss of his grandparents came not long after he entered college in 1968. During the course of attending their funeral services, the thought of becoming a funeral director struck a nerve. “I remember thinking, this could be a good profession because you’re helping people when they can’t help themselves,” Collins explains. As luck would have it, Collins landed an apprenticeship at a funeral home in Havre de Grace, Maryland, with a gentleman by the name of R. Madison Mitchell. Mitchell promptly informed Collins that part of his job when not working on a funeral would be making duck decoys. A match made in heaven!
Mr. Mitchell had a small shop behind the funeral home where he worked on his carvings when business was slow. Since taking up the craft in 1924, Mitchell carved tens of thousands of decoys throughout his 60-year career, helping teach and mentor carvers of future generations along the way. This carving legend’s style became characterized by carefully detailed feather painting, executed with world-class precision.
His first day on the job, Collins was shown how to turn miniature bodies on the lathe. A lathe is a device designed to hold a section of material to be shaped. Unlike a simple vise, a lathe not only holds a workpiece, but also rotates it over a sawblade to remove excess wood. Decoys used in the 1800s through the 1920s were primarily made by hand, with many of the Chesapeake Bay’s most shapely examples created by the hands of carvers whose full-time occupation was boatbuilding. Machine-made decoys came into use in the late 1920s, when well-known Havre de Grace carver Bob McGaw (1879–1958) began using a lathe to turn his decoy bodies.
Step by step, procedure by procedure, Mr. Mitchell continued to thoughtfully guide and instruct young Collins on all of the initial stages of decoy making, soon granting him free reign to experiment on his own. Learning to carve the head was next—a step at which Mr. Mitchell’s “blessing” was required half-way through the process before Collins could move forward toward its completion.
After finishing his apprenticeship with Mitchell, Collins decided to “make it official” and attended the College of Mortuary Science in New York City in 1970, successfully completing the one-year course required to become a licensed funeral director. While serving in the Maryland Army National Guard for the next six years, Collins worked for Mitchell in his new profession, simultaneously honing his skills in the art of crafting decoys. In 1981, Mitchell sold his decoy business to Collins, including the shop, which Collins reopened as Upper Chesapeake Bay Decoys. In 1987, he sold Mr. Mitchell’s lathe, machine tools, and fixtures to the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum, and the shop was reconstructed on the Museum grounds. Mr. Mitchell proclaimed that he never considered selling the business to anyone else, noting that he had trained Collins and wanted him to have it.
An opportunity to move to Centreville, Maryland, where he still calls home, presented itself to Collins in 1984. Plans would soon begin for the construction of not only a new home, but a new shop. Freed up from the rigors of his previous career, Collins’ time was filled carrying hunting parties and working as a charter boat captain out of Tilghman Island while continuing to make decoys.
Photography by Kathi Ferguson
Collins does all of his carving in a part of the shop separate from where the paint and finishing touches are applied. He starts with the head since it takes the most amount of time and requires a good deal of attention. After laying out his pattern, sometimes accompanied by several sketches, Collins looks to the band saw for cutting out the body before shaping the piece using a drum sander, draw knife, spoke shave, and carving knives. “I mainly work with American Linden, also known as basswood, and white pine,” Collins says. “Occasionally, I’ll use cedar for some of my pieces.” Once satisfied with the carved and sanded piece, oil paint is intricately applied, resulting in a masterfully crafted work of art.
Considering himself a traditionalist, Collins’ preferred style is the flat bottom decoy (versus round bottom). Collins also sketches the bird in various poses, putting his own spin on what he feels it should look like. This, according to Collins, differentiates the decoy makers. “If you hold a duck in your hand, some people see only colors,” he smiles. “But I see the feather pattern, look at the head and bill, and study the anatomy of the bird.”
It is evident that much goes into this craft besides skill and love of nature. An accomplished carver does a good deal of research on a bird before selecting a pattern that will best represent it.
As a boy, professional decoy carver and Kent Island native Chris Martin had an eye for drawing and loved to sketch animals. And like many born and raised on the Eastern Shore, learning to hunt and fish came with the territory. “Numerous members of my family are watermen, although several have passed away,” Martin says. “I worked the water when I was a kid, later guided hunting parties, and learned to carve decoys. Carving has been part of my life since I was 13 years old.”
It was one day during Christmas vacation from school when decoy carving first grabbed young Martin’s attention. He spotted his friend’s next door neighbor, Bobby Timms, Sr. (1934–2020), also a waterman, making decoys. “My buddy and I ran over to check it out and I became really interested,” he says. “So much so, that I asked Bobby if he would teach me about carving. We’d work out of his tiny little shop, carving inside when it was cold and moved outdoors when it was warm. In my late teens, I ended up taking classes at a place called The Duck Nest in Bozman. I guess you could say it all kinda snowballed from there.”
Soft spoken and unassuming, Martin worked on an American Wigeon as we talked. “Decoy carving is an art that requires a real connection to your waterfowl,” he explains. “You have to understand their habits. This happens to be an aggressive duck. Some ducks are real busy bodies, others are very passive.”
After taking the plunge into carving full-time eight to ten years ago, Martin carves ducks, geese, and shorebirds for both collectors and hunters out of his Church Hill shop. Before taking up residence there, he worked out of Bill Collins’ shop, where the two not only learned from one another, but developed a special friendship.
Like Collins, Martin sculpts the head first, focusing his attention on the duck’s expression. There are several things a carver can do in this area. Martin might sink the eyes in deeper and build the brow up, for example, to give the impression of a resting bird. After carving the holes for the eyes, a two-part epoxy is used to hold the eye in place. “I use glass,” Martin says. “Some carvers prefer wood. Brighter eyes and the posture of the duck also come into play,” he adds. “Getting the head the way I want it takes a good amount of time. It attracts the most attention. Let’s face it, rarely does anyone come up and initially take a look at the rear view!”
There is no doubt that Martin’s work reflects his knowledge of, passion for, and commitment to this artform. His work is stunning. When asked to describe his style, “I just make ‘em like Chris Martin does,” he replies. Along with masterful carving; rich color, exquisite brushwork, and beautiful lines are reflected in each piece.
Photography by Kathi Ferguson
Using mainly white pine, Martin hand-carves all of his birds, then sands them, applies a coat of primer, and lets it cure before going back in to putty and fix any imperfections. It could, at this stage, be considered a work of art in and of itself. After a second coat of primer, Chris lays out his paint patterns and is ready to put his impressive painting skills to work, sometimes using an airbrush to achieve the results he is looking for. “Decoys need to be realistic,” he reminds me. “The longer you’ve been carving, the faster you get, but there comes a time when you need to slow down, step back and take a look, then fine tune. As with anything you make a living at, the better you get, the longer it takes to perfect it!”
Martin has been showing his work since he was in his teens and began attending major shows for the last twelve years. It was an eye-catching pair of Northern Shovelers that won him Best in Show at the prestigious Ward World Champion Competition Gunning Pairs Contest in 2017. Aptly named, this shallow water bird’s shovel-shaped bill quickly sets it apart from other dabbling ducks who feed primarily along the surface of the water. Some of Martin’s recently completed pieces include a beautifully crafted Pintail drake, a Gadwell drake and hen, and a handsome group of Canvasback gunning decoys.
Aside from Bill Collins, World Champion carver Dick Rhode and Master Carver and conservationist from Virginia, Grayson Chesser, have all influenced Martin’s work. He credits his great uncle and “toughest critic,” Bobby Aaron, for instilling in him a strong work ethic, which Martin feels has contributed to his success as a carver.
Martin shows his decoys in Maryland, and as far as Rappahannock area of Virginia. He is also involved with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Youth Waterfowl Days, which offers to youth the opportunity to learn hunting skills and conservation ethics from more experienced sportsmen and women.
Collins continues to work on decoys while remaining active with Ducks Unlimited, the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum, and the annual Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland. He served as the honorary chairman for the Havre de Grace Decoy Show in 1989, and continues to sit on the Board of Directors for the R. Madison Mitchell Endowment Trust. His awards include the Conservation Award from Queen Anne County Ducks Unlimited, and several awards of appreciation from the R. Madison Mitchell Endowment Trust.
With each and every carving, Bill Collins’ and Chris Martin’s inherent knowledge and personal connection to their craft is revealed as they continue to maintain the century-old skills of a cherished art that has been passed down from master to apprentice for generations. Through them, and so many before them, Maryland’s rich and time-honored waterfowl tradition proudly carries on.
Kathi Ferguson is a freelance writer with a diverse and creative professional background. Her favorite subjects are the people, places, art, and history of the Eastern Shore. To reach Kathi, email kathi@inotherwords.info or visit her website at www.inotherwordschesapeake.com.
