Chesapeake Wings Decoys : My Decoy Carving Philosophy
My Name is Mike Robinson and I carve decoy stools using old hand methods handed down thru the generations on the Chesapeake bay. I also do custom carving and can carve any Chesapeake decoy a collector would desire, correct in form, paint and conformation. My decoy blocks are created of the finest woods, paint and other materials.
I started carving when I was a teenager after my uncle who was a decoy carver took me to the first upper-bay Susquehanna decoy show in the mid-60's.
My soul is closely connected to the Chesapeake and I was influenced greatly by my uncle who was a decoy carver and was very much like a second father to me. I called him "Mr.Chesapeake" as he had a storehouse of knowledge about the bay seldom equaled and was all conveyed in a simple unassuming matter of fact attitude. Uncle Rod's universe was closely connected to the Susquehanna river and flats and grew up on a farm on the South side of the flats near Aberdeen. My Grandmothers relatives of the family Brehm hailed from Port Deposit on the Susquehanna River up river from Havre de Grace. Below you can view some photos of a very nice Canvasback mini by uncle Rod carved in 1974. Take note of the simplicity of clean lines, blended paint and detail that give a unique realism to the bird, especially for a miniature. Rodney also carved the very best Mini flying Canada goose decoys I've seen to date. I spent many a day with him studying Geese in the Upper bay area in my teens and traveling up and down the bay country hunting and fishing. Rod was both a hunter and a naturalist and I learned a lot from him about birds and waterfowl.
I was fortunate to grow up on the edge of the bay and saw a lot of the old timers and their way of life before it passed away. I remember big Chesapeake bay retrievers roaming around almost every crab shack and boat pier. Crabs in abundance and crusty old waterman proud of their way of life in the "land of pleasant living" before it gave way to ever larger populations, condos and shiny overpowered speedboats. In my youth I explored, fished, hunted and lived near probably what once were the most famous waterfowl areas in North America. The Millers Island, Middle river, Carroll's Island, Gunpowder river and Bush river country were no stranger to me. I also hunted Waterfowl, Deer, Quail, and Doves in Cecil and Kent and other counties on the eastern shore. I have also spent a lot of time as a guide, backwoodsman and marshrat in country that remains a waterfowl hunting paradise on par with what the Chesapeake bay was a hundred years ago. Alaska.
My ancestors and family go way back in the Chesapeake country and I'm sure my decoy carvings have a genetic component somewhere inside the wood and paint. Fact is, sometimes I feel like my hands and head are being somehow guided by the old historic carvers. For me, decoy carving is all about heritage.
I also build boats and have built cabins, both log and lumber, trappers shacks, duck blinds, canoe's and canoe paddles and many other wood implements used in the outdoor life. I have been a professional trapper, hunting and fishing guide, logger, and commercial fisherman.
Photo of Rodney Sweeney with part of the Concord light at Havre de Grace in the background. I visited the Wards in the 60's with Rod and I know he loved their decoys and gave me an appreciation for their work and lifestyle. I believe the inspiration for the above decoy carved by uncle Rod in 1974 comes from an amalgamation of the Ward and Havre de Grace style decoys.
Mike Robinson (Chesapeake Old Decoys and Chesapeake Wings Decoys)