Division D: Traditional Hunting Decoys
There are no experience levels in this division.
This is a special purchase award division sponsored by the Saskatchewan
Wetland Conservation Corporation. Entries must be suitable for
actual hunting conditions--no loose or fragile parts. General
texturing only: no individual feather detailing allowed. Painting
may be more detailed, but judging will be primarily done at a
distance while the decoy is floating on water. Class 4 Shorebirds
must be mounted with legs represented by a single wood or metal
rod.
First in Class 1 (Diving
Ducks)
Bufflehead by Bruce Tolton of Grande Prairie,
Alberta.
First in Class 2 (Dabbling
Ducks)
Canvasback Drake by Douglas Meeking of Calgary,
Alberta.
First in Class 4 (Shorebirds)
Ruddy Turnstone by Harvey Welch of Saskatoon.
Event #2 Wildlife Sculpture
Division E: Realistic Wood Sculpture
First in Class 1 (Intermediate)
Class 1 is painted.
Stoic Strut - Elk by Reginald Brooks of Saskatoon.
First in Class (Novice)
and Best of Show
Bighorn sheep by Bob Merkle of Saskatoon.
First of Class 2 (Intermediate)
Class 2 is natural finish.
Wood Duck by Grant Pohl of Moose Jaw, SK.
Division F is non-wood sculptures, so I didn't include them in this report.
Division G: Non-Realistic Wood Sculpture (All media)
For me this is the highlight of the show, in
part because this is the division that my carvings are usually
entered in. This division had probably the largest number of entries,
particularly in the open category.
First in Division
(Open) and Best of Show
Spirit Table by Jamie Russell of Pike Lake, SK.
I can claim some credit for this wonderful
piece, as my wife and I commissioned it. Jamie has a series of
functional and artistic pieces based on a skull motif. The skull
and horns are from quilted maple; the other pieces are cherry.
Second in Division
(Open) and Second Best of Show
Predators Are Cool by Jamie Russell.
Another of Jamie's motifs is fish, particularly
burbots. This piece combines burbots with raptors. I believe that
most of this piece is birch with some cherry.
Howling Coyote by
Bob Gander of Saskatoon.
This is my entry in this division (no ribbons
for me this year). It is carved from a single cypress knee. The
coyote has a wax finish; the "base" has an oil finish.
You learn from doing, and if I were to do this again, I would
certainly do it a little differently.
From Below by Larry
Burbidge of Beaverlodge, Alberta.
I disagreed with the judges not giving this
piece a ribbon. It has a rainbow trout emerging from a naturally
finished root.
Second in Division
(Novice)
Walrus by Rina Royer of Saskatoon.
Division G: Relief (All media)
The organizing committee had a bit of difficulty
classifying one of the pieces entered this year. It was a stained
glass piece of a tiger. Since it definitely wasn't a three-dimensional
sculpture, it was entered in the relief category. However, since
it wasn't wood related, I have not included it in this report.
This division includes a separate class for antler carving, which
is usually a strong category. However, for some reason this year
there weren't any antlers entered.
Second
in Division (Open)
Prairie Bison by Bob Gander of Saskatoon.
This is carved from locally grown butternut.
Butternut is not native to this area, but is sometimes grown as
an ornamental tree. Based on comments from the judges and others,
I will be adding a black base to this in the future.
First
in Division (Intermediate)
Buffalo by George David of Ogema, SK.
It seems that the relief carvers had bison
(buffalo) on their minds this year.