Here in is a reality of life.  We pattern after someone else.  Should we?  maybe.  At least to start with.  As a child, we pattern after our parents, rightly or wrongly.  Those who experience great dysfunction unless challenged, will pattern that behavior.  Why?  Because we see it as reality- a right way.  Does it have to be that way?  NO!  We need to create a new pattern!  And we live in a society and world where the patterns all have something to be desired, everyone of them, yes me too and you as well.  Patterning.  Throw ‘em away!  Except a few!  Except those that create a reality that is far beyond our own realm, out there, life changing, world changing, yours, as important as anyone elses; yours!  Incomplete, not quite like you would like it, not as pretty as someone elses; yours! 

Pattern – a picture of reality, taken with your own finger tips, given to humanity, given to all, given to God, your pattern, God given- back.  COURAGE - the ability to create your own pattern – of life, of love, of art.

There is an old hymn that so many people know and love and it describes God’s grace. It starts out as Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see. For those who know me, I am not one to wax into the corny christian metaphors nor do I give meaning to things where meaning is not found. But for me and so many other people, we find the love of God through the beautiful world that God has created and find a rich sense of renewal and strength in the outdoors. This is the case for the carvings that I do and the meaning that they have for me.

About 8 years ago I first saw a beautiful Coopers Hawk as my family and I visited Second Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. I had come to Memphis as the Baptist Student Union director at the University of Memphis and my family became members of Second Baptist. The grounds of the church, commonly called The Grove, since it has huge beautiful Oak trees and blooming dog woods, is home or at least traveling grounds for a number of birds and birds of prey. Redtail Hawks and Coopers Hawks regularly venture to The Grove because of the numerous squirrels and song birds that offer these birds of prey a steady source of nourishment.

On my first occasion of seeing the Coopers Hawk, I was just amazed at how it flew. It was as if it was a grey ghost, zooming through The Grove at high rates of speed. I became simply enamored with seeing the bird. Somedays I would simply go and park my car and wait for an occurence to see it. Many times it would not disappoint me with a flash or a cruise through the trees. And during those times I found myself deep in my soul thanking God for something so beautiful and graceful.

Meanwhile, jobs were changing, kids were growing, and the one constant was the ability to go to The Grove and experience an occasion with this bird. I soon learned that it was a female Coopers Hawk given it’s size. Sure, every once in a while, I would see the male but there was such a big difference in body size, with him being smaller, I was quickly able to tell the difference.

Over the last 25 years I have carved. Not always for a living but at least part-time, offering myself a relief from self imposed stress and a little source of income. Maybe I would at times only carve a couple of birds a year, but I found it to be so relaxing. And I guess I got pretty good with it. I guess. In 2003 this would all change. Two back surgeries later and an end in my contractual agreement with my employer, I was facing some tough decisions. In all of the changes, the few constants in my life have been a loving family, an ability to carve and the presence of God. I had just finished a carving when my contract had not been renewed with the American Baptist Churches. I was greatly disappointed but chose to take a step, a huge step, and jump off the vocational edge into an unknown. Even now my palms are sweating! But always, always, I could go to The Grove and see this beautiful hawk.

One day I came to the church and had lunch in a room that looked out in The Grove and I saw the female Coopers Hawk flying to a brance close by the window. Just below the window was a squirrel. I instantly put two and two together and saw lunch about to be served to my friend. In a moments notice, she had pounded off of the limb and flew within feet of the plate glass window at a bulleted freefall. As she approached the squirrel something truly amazing happened: the squirrel spun around and lunged toward the hawk. To my surprise, the hawk put on the back swing and flew away from the squirrel back to the tree. She almost looked stunned. She gathered herself and once again plunged herself into a dive and I knew that the squirrel was a goner. Once again the squirrel spun around and began a full run towards the hawk, to which she viered off and flew away.

I have come to call the female hawk Grace, because like God’s Grace, she allowed me to glimpse into another world and place and experience peace of mind and heart as all of the storms of life pound away. Those storms I have come to understand are sometimes self imposed and sometimes caused by our own fear to not take the steps on a path that God has so wonderfully laid out. I had to go through a number of vocations in order to finally come to a place where I would allow this gift of carving to be pulled out. In that sense, I really was lost. Lost in what I thought was what I was supposed to do, yet deep inside was this art form trying to come out. In this way, these words from song really do apply; “I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see”. And that too applies to these wonderful, neat works of art, that are also a part of God’s Grace.

I knew I had to carve her. I knew it. But what an enormous undertaking it would be. And how would I carve her; flying of course! I had lost my mind. What a huge project! I just had no idea what was in place. So I began to gather all the refernce I could and to begin thinking about anatomy and artistic license where I could. Below is the carving of Grace.

Here is Grace, the female Coopers Hawk. I have carved her in three seperate pieces and at this stage I have temporarily attached each of the pieces: the wings, the head and the body. Later I will permanently attach them.

This is the head of the Coopers Hawk. I wanted to be able to turn it therefore
I detached it away from the body. I thought that it would make a plesant carving
with the head slightly turned. Also I carved the mouth open and carved the tongue
inside of the mouth, one piece without inserting it.

This is the head in the beginning stages of being burned with a wood burning tool

Next is the head carved and painted.

This is a limb. You may say it looks like a bunch of small rods welded to look like a limb. Well, I don’t think so! As an artist, I see much more. I am going to attach this limb to the body of the bird later.

Here is the limb, all bent out of shape, er uh, bent in shape and supporting the hawk. Notice that it is on a black base. Later I would add leaves and acorns and other things to make it look like a limb but I then took them off. I did not want anything to take away from the carving-the simple limb would suffice.

Once I have carved feather groups and reduced the bulk of the size of the bird, I then will burn it. Here is a picture of the tail feathers.

Once I have completed the burning process, I will begin painting.

Here is tail painted with three coats of oil paints.

Here is the overall bird temporarily attached to the limb.

Here are the first coats of paint on the top side of the bird. One of the insane things about carving an entire bird is that you paint top and underside of the bird. Another coat on the top side and then I will begin painting feather edges and adding depth.

Here I am painting splits and feather edges.

And finally here she is in the home of her new owners. I have often said this and I do believe it but I would almost rather give my birds away than to sell them. Why? Because I see what I am able to do as a unique gift from God. To put a dollar sign which is secular in nature on to this gift makes me more than just a little uncomfortable. I literally pour my soul into each one that I do. It is a truly painstaking event for me to carve or create something and I find that I give a piece of myself in these creations.

From the vantage point of the cross, one can overlook all of “the grove” and beyond. And it is from this understanding that I was to soon discover why she was present. On the particular day of the above picture, it was a cool November morning. My family and I arrived at the church, to find the pastor, Dr. Brent Beasley, and several others standing and looking at the steeple cross. There, sitting high above the ground on one of the arms of the cross was this beautiful Red-tailed Hawk. Every once in a while she would look down at us but it seemed to not bother her that she had an audience. Some of those gathered took pictures of her. Over the course of the next several weeks, I was able to watch as she and her mate, would launch themselves on a dive to capture an unsuspecting squirrel or young bird. Even to the date of this writing they continue this practice.

During this time the church began a project of developing a Labrynth, a prayer walk, on the grounds of the grove, in honor of some people who have made quite an impact in the world around them. These people in particular love birds of prey and it was at this point that I put the idea in place to do this particular setting in bronze and place it in the Labrynth, in their honor.

The process of doing the redtailed hawk as a bronze starts with a clay. In the picture above, I have first created a base of wood and then formed the clay over the wood. I wanted to allow the flow of the clay to be the emerging factor with its flow and finger prints rather than the stiffness of wood. After completing the clay, it was then taken to a foundry located close by for the bronzing. Here they do a mold, then create a wax of the piece(see below).

Once the wax is completed then the actual bronzing occurs where they pour the hot molden bronze in a centuries old tradition known as “the lost wax method”. Once the bronze is completed, patina is added to give certain colors and highlights and depth. And for this project I wanted the hawk mounted on a steel cross, representative of the cross on the top of the church.

Here it is installed on the grounds of the Labrynth.

And here is a close up.

The hawk is located near the entrance of the Labrynth. As you begin the journey of the Labrynth, the hawk is looking at you from the cross. And it is here that the impact of the hawk on the cross is felt. Within it’s deep inset eyes, it is asking us a question. No not literally, but figuratively. The hawk says “I sit on this cross, this object of pain and suffering, and it is used as a vantage by which I gain something for living. The question is what will you do with this cross; how will use it or misuse it!”

Here in lies the crux of the cross. On the grounds of Second Baptist, there are a number of crosses, both inside and out. The cross represents so much of who we are. And yet it silently asks, what do you do with the cross. The hawk asks it. How we answer is everything. And for my friends, with whom this piece is given in honor of, they answer it by doing much good in the world around them with what God has given them. Now the question is, what do you do with this cross?