Cape man carves feathered friends of all varieties

Glen Smart may be the only man in the city who can receive a dead canary in the mail and be happy about it.

He'll just stuff it and add it to his collection.

"OK, maybe I'm a little weird," said the retired biologist interviewed Thursday at his home in Cape Girardeau.

The stuffed birds take up an entire wall of his basement workshop, and even more can be found in the next room, which holds animals of every variety.

They come in handy for Smart's work in crafting hand-carved wooden birds, a few so detailed they rival the real thing.

Some look like they're resting on a calm pond or nesting; others sit on branches, wide-eyed and alert for enemies; others hold berries in their mouths, prepared to feed hungry young.

Smart's scientific background lends an authenticity to his work as a professional carver, and customers know he won't hesitate to carve any kind of bird.

He's carved three sets of waterfowl of North America, with nearly 100 birds in each set.

"I'm always getting requests for a strange bird," Smart said

Like the Chiloe wigeon, a South American duck he just finished. Or a dipper, a bird known to nest behind waterfalls and hunt by walking underwater on stream beds to catch bugs.

For research he uses "as much material as I can get my hands on." And that seems to be pretty substantial, from the stuffed birds to photographs of the creatures from every angle, and bird feeders in his own back yard.

"You can't paint from a photograph," Smart said, explaining the coloring in feathers has to be viewed firsthand.

Always learning

Most carvers stick to one niche: a particular style of bird, such as all ducks or tropical birds, Smart said. Smart will tackle any type, perhaps because he's as interested in studying new creatures as he is in carving them.

"You never stop learning," Smart said.

He started carving when he was 10 or 12 years old, using the wood from apple and orange crates.

Fascinated by World War II airplanes, he carved their likenesses until the railing of his mother's porch in Campbell, Mo., was filled with them.

Years later in the Air Force he was an aerial photographer from an enormous B-36. A model of that plane hangs in his basement today, just above an African gazelle.

While in high school and college, Smart put away his whittling blade for about a decade. "I guess I just got busy growing up," Smart said. He graduated from Southeast Missouri State University and went on to earn graduate degrees in biology.

Then one day in the mid-to-late 1960s, while walking on the Maryland coast, he picked up an old duck decoy.

By then he was married and working for the U.S.Fish and Wildlife.Service During his time with the department, he researched whooping cranes and other endangered species. His interest in wildlife and hunting led him all over the world.

The decoy remained on his back porch for some time.

Then "I tried to paint it and probably ruined any historical value it had," he said.

Dissatisfied with the result, he decided to carve his own.

His first effort, an "old squaw" duck, sits in his home office.

Taking it serious

Smart said he started carving seriously during the mid-to-late 1960s -- "the beginning of the modern carving era" -- with artisans taking over the craft, adding detail and working toward the most realistic likeness possible.

Contests among craftsmen arose, drawing more and more interest throughout the nation and even from abroad. Smart's skill grew, too, and he advanced from competitor to judge in world championship competitions.

"There will always be a demand for good, hand-carved items," Smart said.

Starting with a piece of basswood that looks remarkably like a rough fence post and his own hand-drawn pattern, Smart cuts heads and bodies separately, joining them with an epoxy, then carving the bird's final shape.

He uses a wood-burning tool to make the feathers. The wing tips and tail feathers he carves separately and glues to the body.

If the bird is going to be part of a "touchy-feely situation," like a hands-on exhibit for children, Smart makes a cast of the master carving and paints the replica so he can replace it easily.

When he retired, he and his wife, Pat, decided to return home to Southeast Missouri, but he continued carving professionally. Last month he completed and signed bird No. 1,838. He has maintained a clientele by word-of-mouth. Private collectors and museums purchase his work.

"I've known a lot of these people for 40 years," Smart said.

Each year Smart does a special carving for each of his two sons. He'll continue the tradition with his new granddaughter.

abuchanan@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160