Birds, Art & Design

A few years ago, I attended an exhibition of Grainger McKoy’s bird sculptures at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art. Being completely unfamiliar with McKoy’s work, I had no idea what to expect. I had seen an ad for it and thought it could be interesting. Boy, was it ever. What I saw blew me away. These birds were so accurate and detailed that I couldn’t believe they were sculpted from wood. More than that, though, they were dynamic. A Black Skimmer flew above its reflected image; a hawk scattered a covey of quail. “Breathtaking” doesn’t do them justice.

While I was perusing the sculptures, I noticed a small group being led by a gentleman discussing the works. I couldn’t help but overhearing and quickly realized that this had to be none other than McKoy himself. Hearing him talk about his work, process, and inspiration was enlightening, to say the least. That was an once-in-a-lifetime experience. Or so I thought, until Birds, Art & Design.

Like McKoy, Larry Barth sculpts birds that you have to see to believe. This book presents a sampling of his work, 24 pieces in total. Every time I open this book, my reaction is the same as when I walked into that museum gallery – I can’t believe such a thing is possible. You could be forgiven for thinking some of these photographs are of live birds, or at least mounted specimens, they are that realistic. The detail is astounding.

But taking a step back, as it were, to appreciate the piece as a whole is even more rewarding. These aren’t just pretty pieces, Barth’s birds have a purpose. The composition is well thought out, both artistically and ornithologically. These birds are doing something, and that is something one of these birds would be doing in real life. I imagine that birders, when looking at these sculptures, will smile and nod their head, remembering times when they’ve seen birds do just what is depicted here in wood and metal: Sanderlings running, a Killdeer’s distraction display, a jaeger chasing a tern.

When you examine a sculpture you do so from multiple angles, perhaps walking around it and then leaning closer to take in the fine details. Birds, Art & Design mimics that experience by showing each of these works from many angles, including close-up shots that show off the incredible detail.

However, as nicely as the art is presented here, seeing these works on the page is a poor substitute for seeing them in person. What Birds, Art & Design offers, that you can’t get anywhere else (unless you’re lucky enough to bump into Barth somewhere), is the artist’s commentary on his creations. The book’s title succinctly describes Barth’s main theme. “Birds” – well, that’s obvious. “Art” – that seems obvious as well, but the artist/author discusses at length not just his own artwork, but the very nature of art itself. “Design” – this is what brings the art into being. He tells us, “I had long felt that the craft of bird carving had the potential to become the art of bird sculpture.” This is achieved not through technique or skill, but design. So the formula is birds + design = art. Barth goes into each of these attributes while giving us some behind-the-scenes details on how he brings these sculptures to life.

As a birder, the bird part of the equation is interesting, naturally. I was pleased to find that the artist truly loves birds and will often get field experience with the bird before he carves it. It was cool to see how this was incorporated into the artwork. This first-hand knowledge shines through the work, not just in the bird’s appearance as sculpted, but also in what it is doing.

Surprisingly, the design portion is arguably even more intriguing. Barth discusses how he chooses his subjects and the rationale for composing them as he does. The composition takes into account two sometimes complimentary, sometimes opposing factors: ornithological accuracy and artistic expression. The accuracy is easy to understand and appreciate, especially for birders. However, I don’t have a particularly “artistic” bent, so many of the artist’s revelations were eye-opening to me. For example, until reading the text I took very little note of how the sculpture is presented: whether on a base or standalone, and then the material, size, and shape of the base. Afterward, however, it was clear how everything about these pieces, including the base, is carefully calculated to achieve a certain effect.

You also learn some really fun facts about the creation of these sculptures. One of the most striking pieces here is a Broad-winged Hawk carrying off a snake. Barth reveals:

The line of the snake was inspired by the gesture of a particularly elegant curly fry. I was able to rescue the fry just as my children were about to pull it apart. It had a natural grace that would have been difficult to make up without seeming contrived. It was pinned to my studio wall for years until the mice finished it off.

How awesome is that?

The only issue with the book, and it’s a very minor one, is the author’s tendency to wax a little too poetic at times. But it’s easy to get past it, as he’s obviously very passionate about this subject.

Recommendation

Birds, Art & Design is the next best thing to having a private exhibition of some of the world’s best bird sculptures, guided by the artist himself. The art itself is reason enough to get this book, it really is incredible. The addition of the interesting text makes it one of the best bird, or any other type of, art books around.