THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 6, 1996 TAG: 9603050094
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Harvey Ackiss started carving wildfowl as a hobby 25 years ago when his sons signed him up for a beginners class to help him through divorce.
``I almost quit midway through,'' said Ackiss, ``then I really began to enjoy it.''
From that inauspicious start, Ackiss has become a world-class wildfowl carver who travels to shows and exhibitions and teaches classes in carving at the Adult Learning Center.
He was one of 150 carvers to display wares - ducks, geese, swans, herons, gulls, sandpipers and more - at the 21st annual Mid-Atlantic Wildfowl and Wildlife Festival at Pavilion last weekend.
The carving competition included entries for decorative and gunning decoys. The gunning (hunting) decoys, also known as slicks, are less detailed than the decorative and are judged for their practical use such as how they float, their faithfulness to the species, etc. The festival also featured a decorative fish carving competition, and 33 artists exhibited their paintings and photographs of wildfowl and wildlife. All proceeds went to the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum on Atlantic Avenue.
Ackiss, who also judges shows, will spend up to 80 hours creating a single detailed Canada goose miniature. The detail is so precise that one woman who touched a goose at the weekend festival said she was surprised that the feathers felt like wood.
Also in the show was Bill Payne, a retired engineer, who has been carving for only three years. His wife, Anna, suggested carving to him. Now they go to shows together.
``I do the carving. She takes care of the business side,'' said Payne, as he watched the huge hall fill with spectators.
Some of the carvers make their living from the endeavor. People like fourth-generation carver Wayne Waterfield, who sells to collectors, hunters and shops, work full time and sell some pieces for hundreds of dollars.
Payne said he picks up a project, works on it for a few hours a day and is under no pressure to turn out a certain amount of work.
``I might spend three hours a day for 10 days with my burning tool,'' he said. The burning tool is a fine-tipped implement with a variable heat control and is used to create the rich detail of the feathers.
Ackiss said that he has been a woodworker all his life, building cabinets and custom gun stocks.
``But I've really enjoyed this,'' he said. ``Sometimes, you sit there burning and get into a rhythm and the time just goes by.''
His hobby helped him through another tough time.
``I had open-heart surgery in 1990 and this was a good way to pass time while I was recovering,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by GARY EDWARDS
Bill Payne, above, a retired engineer, and Wayne Waterfield, right,
a fourth-generation carver, were among the 150 artisans at the 21st
annual Mid-Atlantic Wildfowl and Wildlife Festival.
A variety of wooden wildfowl are in the display by hobbyist Bill
Payne, whose wife, Anna, handles the business side of his art.
by CNB