Bennington Center for the Arts
Bennington, VT
(802) 442-7158
www.VermontArtsCenter.org
Floyd Scholz, Vermont's Master Woodcarver
of Birds
"Wooden" as an adjective usually describes something stiff and
lifeless. But in the hands of master carver Floyd Scholz, solid Tupelo hardwood
becomes something graceful, light, and spirited, as it takes on the form
and feathers of a red-tailed hawk, a bald eagle, or a hermit thrush, Vermont's
state bird. Scholz, of Hancock, Vermont, has earned an international reputation
as a carver and painter of incredibly lifelike wild birds. From October
2 through October 17, 1999 the Bennington Center for the Arts will present
a solo retrospective exhibition of Floyd Scholz's work, with more than 25
birds of prey, songbirds, tropical birds, and shore birds placed in their
native settings. There will be an opening reception with the artist on Saturday,
October 2, from 5-7 PM, to which the public is invited. (left: Harris
Hawk)
Floyd Scholz has carved other animals, "but my true
love is birds," he says. Scholz began carving in 
wood at the age of 10, when he began learning the
art from an uncle. When his uncle's life and career were cut short by cancer,
Floyd took up his tools and ambitions. "I've been carving for 21 years,
and I'm more excited about the art form than ever. It's a uniquely American
art -- the best bird carvers are almost all American -- but it's become
popular overseas, especially in Japan." Scholz has taken his place
among the best, receiving numerous awards and corporate commissions from
around the world. His complex piece of Birds of the Western United States
won Best of Show at the 1998 Northeast Wildlife Art Show at Stowe, Vermont;
his Miniature Owl took Best of Show in 1997. (right: Floyd
Scholz holding Birds of Prey)
With
a college degree in Industrial Arts, Scholz has integrated teaching and
wildlife education into his creative life. His studio in Hancock is also
the home of the Vermont Raptor Academy, where he conducts seminars in carving
and ornithology from May through October. He is the author of Birds of
Prey, with more than 500 photographs of his work by Tad Merrick, as
well as Carving and Painting a Red-Tailed Hawk with Floyd Scholz
(with Curtis Badger). Scholz is also a founder and director of the Vermont
Institute of Natural Science, whose Raptor Center conducts avian research,
rehabilitation of wild birds, and live demonstrations of raptors at its
site in Woodstock and at traveling presentations. (left: Fragile
Sovereignty, Adult Golden Eagle, 1989, Private Collection)
In a fortuitous recent trend, Scholz's specialty, the red-tailed
hawk, is increasingly seen throughout Vermont. According to Raptor Center
biologist and educator Brant Ryder, "red-tailed hawks are increasing,
and often stay through the winter, probably because of milder winters and
more food available." The peregrine falcon, another Scholz subject,
is also on the rebound, since the banning of DDT -- after a hiatus of 30
years, several nesting pairs have been seen in Vermont, beginning in 1987.
Recently, the peregrine was removed the endangered species list. As Ryder
explains, "with the increasing prevalence of bird feeders, songbirds
increase; these smaller birds are like a fast-food restaurant for the raptors
(hawks, eagles, and falcons) who feed on them."
The songbirds are in evidence outside Floyd Scholz's studio
-- chickadees, finches and blue jays congregate around the outdoor feeders;
indoors, parakeets chirp and preen in their spacious cages. Created from
a Vermont schoolhouse complete with rooftop bell, the studio sits beside
the rushing Hancock branch of the White River. Scholz is currently at work
on a life-sized red-tailed hawk, as well as a wild turkey, a cooper's hawk,
a ferruginous hawk, and the Harris hawk of the southwestern U.S.
"I travel all over the world, researching birds --
there are probably 3 hours of travel involved for every hour of carving,"
Floyd notes. The October exhibition should prove to be both an education
and a delight, as the Harris hawk takes its place among the exotic birds
of the Amazon rainforest, the shore birds of the Eastern U.S., and the majestic
eagles of North America.
Read more about the Bennington
Center for the Arts in the Resource
Library
Search for more articles
and essays on American art in Resource Library. See America's Distinguished Artists
for biographical information on historic artists.
This page was originally published in 1999 in Resource
Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for
more information.
Copyright 2012 Traditional
Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit
corporation. All rights reserved.
"Wooden" as an adjective usually describes something stiff and
lifeless. But in the hands of master carver Floyd Scholz, solid Tupelo hardwood
becomes something graceful, light, and spirited, as it takes on the form
and feathers of a red-tailed hawk, a bald eagle, or a hermit thrush, Vermont's
state bird. Scholz, of Hancock, Vermont, has earned an international reputation
as a carver and painter of incredibly lifelike wild birds. From October
2 through October 17, 1999 the Bennington Center for the Arts will present
a solo retrospective exhibition of Floyd Scholz's work, with more than 25
birds of prey, songbirds, tropical birds, and shore birds placed in their
native settings. There will be an opening reception with the artist on Saturday,
October 2, from 5-7 PM, to which the public is invited. (left: Harris
Hawk)
