Barry Woodcraft. b 1949
Greater Scaup Pair
Sculpted tupelo wood.
2010
The term "genius" is one which can rarely be applied in earnest and have the agreement of those qualified to judge.
Since 1991 he has been entering the Ward World Wildlife sculpting championships. Up to twenty thousand good carvers and sculptors came from all over the World to have their work judged in terms of its accuracy of representation, behavioural attributes of the animal, mannerisms, posture and behaviour and the consequent gestalt of its appeal.
Barry has known wildfowl since he could first walk, having grassland and marshes in the area of his childhood years.
When Barry was eleven, an art teacher recognised his natural skill as a draftsman and took time to tutor him in art. He obtained an Art College scholarship and went on to be a successful but emotionally unrewarded commercial artist.
The naturalist and conservationist, Sir Peter Scott encouraged and promoted his sculpture.
Through Barry's complete understanding of birds, his power of observation and exquisite rendering, and his passion for the subject, he creates extraordinary object as perfectly as is humanly possible in his sculptures.
He captures these creatures in an instant of its own life, with expressions and postures that are familiar to us in a primal way.
