VANDERBILT — As a young girl woodcarver, Judie Komraus can remember her membership in the Audubon Society and each month receiving a colorful photograph of a             bird through the mail.

“I think I’ve always had an interest in birds,” Komraus said, explaining her current infatuation with carving songbirds from blocks of smooth-grained Tupelo wood.

“I started carving ducks in 1985 and then moved onto songbirds so I could do habitats as well,” she said of the intricate relationship between the life-like birds she carves and the natural settings she displays her artwork.

A curlew, supported on long, spindly legs, can be found peering into the depths of a glassy pond, while goldfinches perch on branches flanked by purple-flowered thistles. Komraus has devoted the bulk of her woodcarving to songbirds since the early 1990s.

“There is a lot of research which goes into every carving,” Komraus explained of the detail to the texture and colors of the feathers on her carved works and the authenticity of the habitat her birds find themselves. “I think the best carvers, and artists in general, start by knowing the anatomy of a bird or animal to get as realistic a look as possible.”

A cupboard full of birding books and magazines attest to the hours Komraus devotes to her work before even picking up the power carving tools of the trade to begin the transformation of a block of wood into the finished product.

Komraus and her husband, Don, moved to their woodsy home overlooking the west branch of the Sturgeon River west of Vanderbilt five years ago, with part of her criteria being their retirement home had to be near water with good bird habitat. Don, an avid hunter, had no problem with his wife’s desire to be surrounded by nature.

Komraus confessed to not having had formal training in the arts, but has taken a number of carving classes over the years, including a class with the well-known Roscommon bird carver Joy Yax.

“I find that most artists enjoy working in different medias and after I started painting wooden decoys of game birds, I thought I could do better and so got started in carving.”

To see Komraus’ work up close and personal she will have her bird carvings on display and for sale next weekend at the Michaywé Arts & Crafts Show, Aug. 9-10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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