I grew up in the 1960s and 70s. My parents were very conservative. Mom grew up in Philadelphia. We were surrounded by the icons of 1970s patriotism. I even remember the bathroom wallpaper had consisted of drawing of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and facsimiles of the the signatures of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
1976 brought a patriotic fervor. I wore a brass belt buckle depicting a bald eagle’s head. I came across a small bench vise that I used to build models. An eagle and shield were painted on it’s side. Clearly I had eagles on my mind.
I carve Indiana birds. Bald Eagles are Indiana birds. My family and I went on an eagle watch last winter and spotted fifty in one day. I wasn’t sure how I was going to carve eagles until I saw this George Stapf eagle. Like most of the carvers that influence me most, George was Pennsylvania German. He worked around Lancaster and Harrisburg around 1900.
I don’t pretend to have produced a George Stapf quality eagle…or to have copied his work. I work to develop my own style. But his eagle was my starting point. There may be others. There are things that I would do differently…or better.
