David is a consignment artist and does not have shop hours.
Tom Taber was born and rasied in Michigan into a family of sportsmen along the great Michigan flyways. At an early age he was introduced to the sport of duck hunting by his Great Uncle “Doc” and they always hunted over Doc’s finely carved decoys. Tom would often help his uncle repair and repaint the decoys over the summer months in anticipation of the Fall season. After hundreds of dedicated hours helping his uncle, Tom became quite adept and very talented at the art of carving and painting decoys. He hand-finished his carvings in semi-tranparent stains and paint which allow the natural warmth of the wood to show through. Many of his pieces are carved from well seasoned wood, often decades old, that show worm holes and other natural characteristics that can only be found in very old wood. Using distressed wood is a familiar aspect for some of his most beautiful carvings. His unique staining and coloring methods bring out the full warmth and grain of the wood, which in turn enhances the shading and coloring of his decoys that has also become his trademark. No other artist has had such an impact on the world of wildlife carvings.
During the 1980s, Tom Taber designed many medallion and speciual editions for Ducks Unlimited and formed “Woodendare” with master carvers Hersey Kyle, Jr. and John Fairfield. These carvings are normally distinguished by special medallions, branded signatures and continue to honor Tom Taber with Ducks Unlimited special issues.
After Tom Taber’s death, his family and Oregon Wildlife Carvers have developed “The Taber Collection”, which offers wood sculptures replicated int he style of Tom Taber.
Offered at Prairie PastTimes is a collection of Tom Taber’s carvings from the 1980s which display his unique decorative style.
Leo Koppy was a master woodcrafter who originally worked for Walt Disney carving high end figurines. In the late 1970s, he created his own carving business in Huntington Beach, CA, which he operated until his death in 1980.
His carvings were marketed with the notation “This is a handcrafted sculpture, Minor flaws, knots and weather cracks enhance the beauty of this product. No two are alike.”
As such, his life like, hand carved and hand finished carvings have become highly sought after collectibles.
Offered at Prairie PastTimes is a rare collection of Leo Koppy’s miniature carvings which display his unique folk are/characterizing style, and full sized carvings which display his unique decorative style.
Prairie PastTimes LLC 