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Hometown: Marlton, NJ

Hometown: Berlin, MD

Hometown: Felton, PA

Hometown: Bradford, OH

I sculpt in an interpretive style, giving the viewer the opportunity to step into and and complete the sculpture in their own mind, relating to factors in their own lives.

I work primarily with found wood that I pick from the woods and river on my property in southwest Ohio, but I am always looking for interesting pieces wherever I’m at. With each piece I try to create motion and emotion. I feel strongly that one can see and feel humanity even in an inanimate object such as a jug or a pot. I get a feeling of satisfaction, worth almost, from taking an object that was once living and growing but has died or been killed and is simply lying on the forest floor, turning to dust. Picking the piece up and giving it a new forever life for people to enjoy both physically and mentally, in whatever shape or form it tells me it wants to be, is so rewarding.

One of my hopes and goals is to move people with my sculptures, so how a piece touches you can be both physical and emotional. There is no better feeling for me than to have someone see my pieces for the first time and put their hand over their mouth in awe. Not because of the beauty of my work, but because it moves them in some way. To me this shows me they are seeing into the piece and not just looking at it. Sometimes they ask, “Can we touch it?” Of course my reply is always “By all means, please do.” Some may purchase the piece to take home and enjoy every day, some simply enjoy the moment. Both choices carry the same significance to me. I feel I have moved someone, maybe made a difference or lifted them up in some way. That’s what it’s all about for me.

Hometown: Parsonsburg, MD

Ted Morlock started carving while still serving as the Chief Ranger for Assateague National Seashore. His work is interpretive sculpture with emphasis on the natural beauty of the woods he uses. His focus is on birds but he enjoys delving into other animals and subjects. He has competed and received several awards for his work in the Ward World Carving Championship since 2011 in the interpretive division. His work iS currently featured at the Ward Museum gift shop in Salisbury, MD; the Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona; and the Horizon Fine Art Gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Hometown: Lenoir, NC

Sculpting since 1983, Pete brings an intimate knowledge of wildlife, their habitat and their interaction with mankind. Growing up around his grandparents farms in rural southeastern North Carolina, he was rewarded with an awareness of the simple things of life. How a change in light can reveal color and form in everyday objects that so often go unnoticed, learning along the way that sometimes we must slowdown in order to see.

Working primarily in Tupelo or Basswood, he carves wildlife and manmade objects in a realistic style. Each component of a composition is carved entirely out of wood, then copper or brass sheets are hand cut and shaped into flowers, leaves or grasses. He completes the process by applying multiple thin washes of acrylic paint to bring the piece to life. The finished piece captures a moment of co-existence between beings.

 “To me, nature, truly wild nature, is the only reality. It is the perfect cycle; it manages itself, cares for itself, and rights its own wrongs. It is not anything other than what it is. Perfect.”

“With my work, I create moments that depict wildlife interacting within the human world. Man is changing nature to suit his needs, often without regard to the creatures that share this world, but nature, given the chance, finds a way to live with man. The Zen masters have a word, “Satori” it means a moment of clarity, or a moment of enlightenment. I wish to engage the viewer in a moment of connection between beings of a shared space. To become aware of these moments for what they truly are, gifts from the creator.”

Hometown: Bethlehem, PA

I have been carving for over 50 years. After going into my craft full time in 1982, I started doing shows up and down the east coast. My birds are all hand-carved basswood painted with acrylics. I use naturally weathered woods for bases in conjunction with brass, copper, steel, and cellulose for habitat. They sit on figured hardwood bases.

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Rich spent most of his summer days tromping through the woods always headed to one of his favorite fishing holes. After high school he joined the Navy to see the world. It was while stationed in Virginia that Rich attended the Mid-Atlantic Wildfowl Festival and was just awestruck with the wonderful carvings that he saw. As someone with a love of nature and fishing in particular, Rich began carving in 1985 often focusing on nature and the beauty that he saw while pursuing some of his favorite pastimes. Rich’s interests were piqued on how he could go about creating such beauty out of wood. Ducks were Rich’s first interest and garnered much of his attention during his early carving days. Entering his carvings in the many competitions always kept him striving to better his art, to increase the creativity and the wow factor, always looking for that special pose that would catch the judge’s eye.

Fishing had always been a significant part of Rich’s life and continues to be to this day. His latest works center on recreating the beauty that Rich sees in the fish and of the days remembered pursuing them. Waterfowl and Fish have been the focus of most of Rich’s carvings but there has been an occasional flower, shore bird, or a puffin or two.

Rich often starts with a picture and creates a pattern and subsequent woodcarving with various degrees of detail. Often each scale is carved or burned into the wood to capture those intricate details. When painting, each scale is hand painted with several applications of media. He develops color with multiple coats of various paints, pastels and powders, using both an airbrush and artist brushes. Starting with an airbrushed base layer followed by pastels and powdered paint, he creates an accurate and long lasting piece of art.