"I was taught to carve by my father and uncle, who were taught by their father, who was taught by his. Carving has been an important family tradition for over 100 years. I never had any doubt that I would become a woodcarver. I began as an apprentice in my uncle’s shop at 10, and was allowed to begin carving my own pieces at 14 (although much of my early work became firewood). I’ve now been involved in this art for 40 years, and I still love it all - the smell of the wood, the peacefulness of carving, and most importantly the idea of keeping tradition alive."

History of Decoy Carving

Decoy carving in its current form began in the 1800’s. Market hunting became increasingly popular on the East Coast, particularly duck hunting. Increased market hunting resulted in a demand for mass decoys; the market decoy carver was born.

Ross’ great grandfather, Harry V Shourds was a famous decoy carver from Tuckerton, NJ and is credited as being the most prolific decoy carver in history, carving more than 70,000 decoys. He created a new style of decoy, now known as the Barnegat Bay decoy, and his family and others have carried on the tradition of that style. In addition to other carvings, Ross still carves decoys in the style created by Harry, and still uses the tools of his time.

Technical Information

Today, many decoy carvers purchase mass-produced factory decoy blanks, and then finish them by painting and doing a small amount of carving. However, Ross’ decoys are created by him from start to finish. To make a decoy, Ross first draws a picture of the duck he plans to carve. From the picture, he creates a pattern (the profile and the top view).

The Barnegat Bay decoy is made in 3 pieces; the body consists of a top and a bottom, so that it may be hollow. The head is separate. The body halves are roughed out with a hatchet and shaped on the outside with a spoke shave. The inside is hollowed with a gauge and mallet. The two halves are nailed and glued together. The body shape is finished with a rasp and sandpaper.

The head is roughed with a hatchet, whittled with a knife, and finished with sandpaper. The head has a large nail driven up through the bottom to reinforce the neck and is then glued and nailed to the body. The shoulder of the body is fitted to the neck of the head with a knife. Now a complete bird, the decoy is then finish sanded, painted with a sealer, sanded again with fine paper, and finish painted to suit the species it represents. In the bottom, a channel is cut with a chisel, and lead is poured in for ballast. A leather strap is attached with a copper tack in which to attach the anchor line. The decoy is complete.

 

Accomplishments

~Did his first carving at 9 years old.
~Entered his first art contest at 10 years old and won a scholarship to a summer art program at the Ocean City, NJ Art Museum.
~At 12, his grade 6th grade history project, a medieval suit of armor was put on exhibition in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
~When he was 14, Ross entered his first carving contest, entering in the professional category, (rather than youth, novice, or amateur), and came in 2nd place.
~After that contest, Ross continued entering carving competitions at decoy shows a few times per year for several years, and was a winner in every show.
~In addition to carving, Ross has other artistic interests and has won competitions for both drawing and creative writing.
~In 2006, he was invited to be a demonstrator and a workshop exhibitor for a traveling Smithsonian exhibit. He has been invited back for 2007.
~In the summer of 2006, the Tuckerton Seaport Museum display a Shourds carving exhibit, featuring work from Ross, his father, uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Ross and his father were featured demonstrators at the Grand Opening of the exhibit.
~Ross is also an accomplished singer/songwriter, having written over 400 songs and appearing frequently at local coffeehouses to perform.
~In 1998, Ross released his first CD, under the pseudonym Wyett Ingrim, entitled Beat-up Pickup Truck. Ross is currently in production on a second album.