Curlew on Stand 1988 Wood Carving
Alexander "Alex" Buderer (1943-2018) carved this handsome long-billed curlew in his Shell Knob, Missouri woodworking shop in 1988. He was a talented artist who described himself as a "Wood Artist, Furniture Designer and Builder." From his bio on the Hyde Gallery website: ​"I have been inspired by my uncle Alexander Kozak who was a sculptor in New York. To watch my uncle transform and re-define materials was something that really excited me. I love to work with wood that has been cast aside as worthless, then reclaim it to become a work of art." Alex was an admirer of American woodworker and furniture designer George Nakashima, famous for his respect for trees and the author of "The Soul of a Tree."
This stylized carving of a long-billed shorebird is a prime example of Buderer's ability to coax art from wood. The bird has a smooth, sinuous body, the wood left its natural color except for the belly, which was given a wash of white paint to simulate the real thing. The long beak is also wood and it has copper tack eyes. The stand is brass and is mounted in a vertically sliced branch with its concentric rings, polished silky smooth on the top and displaying insect incursions for added texture. The bark has been left intact on the edges, along with a knot at one end.
The underside of the base was smoothed but not polished. It's hand signed, etched in the wood, " 1988 #132 Alex Buderer." (The initials EC are etched into the belly, probably those of a previous owner.) Alex moved his "Alex Buderer Creations" from Long Island, New York, to Shell Knob in 1981, so we know he made this piece in Missouri.
The bird measures 16 inches long from tip of bill to tip of tail. It stands 10 1/2 inches tall including the base, which is 2 inches high. Weighing 1 pound, 3 ounces, it is in excellent condition, a superb woodcarving by a well-known artist.
© PrimpingYourHome.com
PYH 5307
This vintage pair of Canada geese decoys, a gander and a dame, were hand carved from solid chunks of pine in Maine. Reduced to their most basic forms, the geese have raised heads carved separately and painted black, with an area left natural on each that defines their chin straps (the female's neck is painted as well.) There is no additional painting or decorative carving. The pine was left raw but sanded with no topcoat and, along with their blocky shapes and lack of decoration, contributes to their down-home, folk art appearance.
The gander is the larger of the two, measuring 15 1/4 inches beak to tail, 8 1/2 inches tall to the top of his head and 5 1/2 inches wide across his breast. The dame measures 12 1/4 inches long beak to tail, 7 1/2 inches tall to the top of her head and about 5 inches across her breast. The male weighs about 2 1/4 pounds and the female just under 2 pounds. There is a bit of writing in ink on the bottom of the female.
Both decoys are in excellent condition; the wood has splits and cracks that are inherent in the pine, but there is no damage on either. These vintage decoys make a great display, together or separately.
© PrimpingYourHome.com
PYH 5548