THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 10, 1995 TAG: 9509080261
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Coastal Journal
SOURCE: Mary Reid Barrow
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
Once decoy carver Darwin Lovitt saw a vision in a piece of wood and what he saw was the start of a carving specialty - whimsical decorative owls.
It happened one day a couple of years ago when Lovitt was carving a great blue heron. He ``saw'' an owl in a wedge-shaped chunk of wood he had chopped out between the heron's long tail feathers and its legs.
Since then, Lovitt has built a reputation on these whimsical owls that come from leftover pieces of wood. He sells them from his shop and they also are sold at wildfowl shows in the area.
The popular, hand-hewn owls with their golden eyes continue to be nothing but afterthoughts, made with leftover wood from larger herons and swans that he and his son Michael Lovitt create in a Muddy Creek Road workshop.
``And the owls just emerge from the leftover pieces,'' he said. ``They are like swan offspring.''
A multitude of wood scraps is usually left over from the large rectangular pieces of wood that must be used to carve big water birds like swans and great blue herons. ``There's a lot of scrap in a big bird,'' Lovitt explained.
``Instead of throwing it away, instead of firewood,'' he said, ``you get a $50 owl.''
A piece of unblemished wood large enough to carve a life-size swan or heron isn't cheap. A block that big costs around $60 if you figure the price conservatively, Lovitt said. By recycling the leftovers, his wood gives him a lot more bounce for the ounce.
The appealing brown owls are shaped a little like tear drops and they range from 6 inches to 2 feet tall, depending on the size of the wood scraps. Their ``ears'' or horns are also made from scraps, metal scraps or leather scraps that Lovitt cuts from old saddles. The hooked beaks are scraps, too, made from animal teeth such as hog or nutria teeth.
``They make a nifty owl beak,'' Lovitt said.
The owls are painted with waterproof paint. Each comes with a chain on its head so it can be hung from the eaves of the house or patio.
Lovitt also makes other owls from antique decoys that are so old it is impractical to restore them. ``Look at a decoy body,'' he exclaimed. ``They look like an owl lying down!''
Lovitt was working that day to get a flock of owls ready for the Currituck Wildlife Festival which runs through 5 p.m. today at Currituck High School. Local decoy broker Bud Coppedge is selling Lovitt's owls at Currituck and he also carries them around to other shows on the East Coast.
When Lovitt is working to get ready for a show, he turns out about a dozen or so owls a week. ``This is owl week,'' he said.
Most of his owls and other carvings are sold by Coppedge. However, Lovitt also will sell from his workshop where he can be reached by calling 426-2557. Owls range in price from around $50 to $125, depending ``on how many fingers have been in the pie,'' he said.
Lovitt, who farmed most of his life down on Muddy Creek Road, has been making and repairing decoys seriously for the past 10 years. Now the work has become a full-time job. It's even a part-time occupation for his son who farms in the summer, but works with his father in the winter. This time of year, there is plenty for Lovitt and his son to do.
``You can tell duck season is getting under way,'' Lovitt said.'' This place is filled with `cripples.' ''
When Lovitt speaks of cripples, he's not talking about a wounded duck. He's talking about decoys that need repairing before they can be used for hunting. The wooden cripples are lined up around Lovitt's workshop.
In addition to wooden cripples and a passel of owls, a wooden snake carved by Michael Lovitt was waiting for a coat of paint. A beautiful finished curlew was nearby and a heron was just beginning to emerge from a block of wood. Hand-built beach chairs with hand-painted canvas seats, another of Lovitt's enterprises, also were stacked in a corner.
``You just kind of do things that feel good,'' the carver said of his eclectic array of crafts.
P.S. ANIMAL REHABILITATION is the topic of the Sierra Club's meeting at 7:15 p.m. Monday at the Central Library. Local wildlife rehabilitator Jim Hook will speak. The meeting is open to the public.
THE COAST GUARD GOES TO WAR is the topic of a new exhibit, opening Monday at the Life-Saving Museum of Virginia. The exhibit is free with admission to the museum. Call 422-1587.
HERBAL LIQUORS is the topic of a class at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Norfolk Botanical Garden. Taught by members of the Herb Society of America, Tidewater Unit, the class is $10 ($8 for garden members). Call 441-5838 to register. MEMO: What unusual nature have you seen this week? Call me on INFOLINE,
640-5555. Enter category 2290. Or, send a computer message to my
Internet address: mbarrow(AT)infi.net.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY REID BARROW
Darwin Lovitt's popular hand-hewn owls with yellow glass eyes are
made with leftover wood from larger herons and swans that he and his
son, Michael Lovitt, create in a Muddy Creek Road workshop.
by CNB