See More of John's Work
 
  Blue Wing Teal Hen

     He carves his decoys from scratch using a variety of soft and hard woods finishing them in a range of styles including primitive, distressed and finely detailed textured and painted.  In addition, he blends his own stains and waxes to bring a warm mellow glow to the polished birds. 

     Although largely self-taught following an inspirational visit to the Eastern Shore of Virginia in 1980, John has taken formal instruction from renowned English carver Pauline McGowan where he learned the finer points of feather texturing. 

     Owen’s repertoire is eclectic but his main enjoyment is water- fowl, including herons, geese, ducks and shorebirds.  He has appeared several times on television demonstrating his craft.  His birds are in numerous collections in Europe and North America and he has been selected by Early American Homes Magazine for inclusion in the 1998 Directory of Traditional American Crafts.