My Decoy Carving Philosophy:

The type of decoys I carve are what I call "Almost Gunning".  By this I mean decoys that are not really gunning decoys because at this late date, I don't feel there would be much call for any for actually hunting waterfowl, but I guess a few carvers still sell some. My decoys are also not the highly feathered detail decorative decoy type.  The reason for this is that I feel that the quest to create the ultimate life life decoy can only be in vain as it is quite impossible in my opinion to do so, even if you hand paint 10,000 individual feathers.  I am more interested in impressionism than illustration  I also believe from doing landscape oil painting that illustration type painting that makes an effort to look like the real thing seldom if ever succeed at looking real and the same can be said of decoys.

My decoys are meant to be impressionistic in that they are meant to convey the form and nature of the bird without exact detail.  I feel this was the case with the best decoy carvers of old.  Real waterfowl are seldom still for long and the skeletal and muscle tissues constantly move and change in the light giving impressions that are quite impossible for a still life wood decoy to imitate.  It is better in my opinion to give an impression or idealized version of how the carver sees the bird and by using the creative process translate these images into decoy bird carving.

To this philosophy I should probably expand my type of decoy as "Almost Gunning Folk Art". (some may call this type of decoy carving "Traditional - Interpretative") By this I mean that I am trying to create decoys that are intended to capture a place or remembrance or interpretation from a historic time period but are carved for display purposes only.  Like most bay carvers I borrow liberally from past design features but also plan to keep my own style and interpretation as much as possible.  I may even at times attempt to re-create my own rendition of famous carvings that are unavailable for purchase.

My soul is closely connected to the Chesapeake and I was influenced greatly by my uncle who was a decoy carver in the 60's and 70's 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.  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.  Rod was both a hunter and a naturalist and I learned a lot from him about birds and waterfowl.

I grew up on the Chesapeake and intend to make my decoys as unique as possible and never carve two of an exact kind if possible. I am a self taught carver but feel the gentle hand of uncle Rod guiding me at times , although he is out on his beloved Susquehanna flats in that great duck hunting happy hunting grounds in the sky. My main bird will always be the Canvasback as I grew up around the folklore of this great bird that almost reached mythic proportions to hear Uncle Rod tell it.

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)