Creekside Art Gallery Blog

A major Gus Wilson retrospective exhibition of his diverse carvings is in the  preliminary planning stages. The exhibit is being organized by Gene Kangas and John Dinan in conjunction with a Maine museum. The exact place and time is yet to be determined. Your participation is welcomed. Please email either Kangas or Dinan digital photos of Gus Wilson’s decoys as well as his bird and animal carvings in your collection. The organizers are especially interested in learning of previously unpublished and undocumented examples as a first step in surveying the range of images created by Gus Wilson during his lengthy career. Contact Gene Kangas at Kangas@CreeksideArtGallery.com or John Dinan at captdinan@yahoo.com.

Following the purchase of an early Augustus "Gus" Wilson old squaw from the November 7-8, 2007 Guyette & Schmidt decoy auction in Easton, Maryland, we thought it would be an interesting exercise to examine the historical provenance of this rare decoy. This decision was influenced by the fact that we were aware of several prior ownerships not listed or identified in the auction catalog. Curiously, only one previous owner was mentioned, although additional data was readily available.

Usually the consignor provides the pertinent information that establishes the provenance to an auction house. According to Wikipedia, the free Internet encyclopedia, provenance is defined as "the origin or source from which something comes, and it can and should include the history of subsequent owners (also known in some fields as chain of custody). The term is also used in the sense of place and time of creation, production or discovery.

"The provenance of works of fine art, antiques and antiquities often assumes great importance. Documented evidence of provenance for an object can help establish that it is original, has not been altered and is not a forgery, reproduction, or stolen or looted art. The quality of provenance of an important artwork can make a considerable difference to its market value; this is affected by the degree of certainty of the provenance and the collective status of past owners as knowledgeable collectors. Provenance of a work of art may be recorded in various forms depending on context or the amount of information that is known, from a single name to a scholarly notation several thousand words long." More »

The title doesn’t refer to the NASCAR circuit or to porno; it identifies certain decoys, specifically merganser decoys. The very physical characteristics that so aptly enable American, hooded and red–breasted mergansers to be successful food gatherers often inspired the imaginations of creative decoy makers. Hooded merganser decoys are the rarest of the three. All mergansers are superb underwater swimmers and divers, possessing streamlined bodies well adapted to the task. Their long thin serrated bills enable them to capture and hold fish. Upon returning to the surface, their combs are wet and slicked back. Once dry, feathers on the back of the head grandly unfurl into fan shaped crests and coiffures suggesting the nickname "hairy heads" to some hunters. More »

DR. JAMES McCLEERY "patted his feathered wooden friends goodbye" and sent them out into the world again. One by one, over thirty years, Jim had carefully selected each duck, goose and shorebird decoy he brought to his Pasadena, Texas home. Shorebirds were approximately one-half of Jim’s collection, with ducks and geese from all North American hunting regions making up the balance. His emphasis was on working decoys. They encompassed examples from the major factories as well as many prominent makers and excellent examples of unknown folk art. He loved each wooden bird nearly as much as he adored his live feathered and furred housemates. And, when his collecting was done, he determined that they go, one by one again, into new homes, those of his good friends, acquaintances, and others he had not met but who are kindred spirits. More »

Thousands of individuals and over one hundred factories produced millions of waterfowl decoys after the idea began over two millenium ago. Of that multitude of makers, how many went far beyond the typical decoy in creative efforts to make miniature ducks and other decoy related artifacts? The answer is a very small percentage. Of those, how many fashioned not only quality lures but also a wider variety of folk sculptures distinguishing them from the norm? Only a handful did and they have become recognized for their special contributions. These legends include Elmer Crowell, Ira Hudson, Charles Perdew, The Ward Brothers, Shang Wheeler and Gus Wilson, all prolific masters. More »