Friday, July 26, 2013

Jim Harkness carving, Red-breasted Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser Wood Carving
by Jim Harkness

     At an auction the other night I was very fortunate to be able to obtain the carving depicted below. It was done by Jim Harkness of Stayner, ON.
     From the very beginning (1975) Harkness' work has been characterized by a strong graphic simplicity. The material used is basswood and white pine, cut with a bandsaw and then shaped by hand with files. When the carving is ready for its decorative finish it is painted with oil stains and enamels and is coated with varnish. 
    Harkness' signature style is immediately recognizable and all of his carvings of birds portray the same stylized representation of his subject. The flowing lines and utter simplicity of this piece are reminiscent of the finest era of duck decoy making in Ontario.
    


 Art washes from the soul the dust of every day life.  Pablo Picasso

David M. Gascoigne,
David M. Gascoigne,

I'm a life long birder. My interests are birds, nature, reading, books, outdoors, travel, food and wine.

6 comments:

  1. Thanks very much. I am quite thrilled with it.

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  2. Ha! I just found a Mallard (I did not know I needed one) in a thrift shop. It is beautiful, so this one must be as well. Kind regards, Simone

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  3. Congratulations. I am sure you got a good deal in a thrift shop!

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  4. Hi David, I have a carving of a Red Throated Loon by Jim dated 1981. It's in very good condition. Any idea what it might be worth? Regards, Martin Brown Burlington Ontario

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  5. Searching online for duck carvings my uncle made. Remember clearly as a kid visiting and seeing his studio with so many work in progress works of art. So proud of him

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