Reader Showcase

Basswood blues|Benchmark|Rural address|House of bird-ship

JAMES KROMM

BALTIMORE, MD

Basswood blues. A longtime woodworker and birdwatcher, Kromm has carved dozens of birds and their habitats out of North American and exotic softwoods, including this pair of lifesize basswood bluebirds. 

After rough shaping with an electric vibrating chisel, he switched to gouges and knives to fine-tune the shapes. Finally, Kromm burned in feathers before finishing the avians with oil paint.

Then he set the birds in a hand-carved version of their natural environment. Even the leaves and flowers are carved and painted wood.

LYNN KIRSTEATTER

CONOVER, WI