Driftwood Art Fools Mother Nature

Aug. 24, 2014

Although furry creatures kept Leland artist Al Rollings employed for more than 20 years, it’s now feathers and scales that occupy his mind.

Rollings, a former veterinarian, began carving decoys as a hobby years ago. The hobby turned serious after selling out at a local art fair, said Rollings, whose lifelike birds, fi sh and other wildlife are all carved from driftwood.

"I pretty much carve 40 hours a week," said the artist, seated in his cozy woodworking shop that is chock-full of gnarly driftwood, hand tools and partially finished projects. "I’m a morning person and often in the shop by 8am."

Using white cedar, poplar or choke cherry, Rollings carves, sands and paints three to five pieces at a time. He has a huge pile of driftwood drying outside his shop. Common subjects are blue herons, salmon, geese, sandhill cranes, ducks and other waterfowl.

Loons and owls remain favorites, however. "I love my loons," he said with a smile. "And I really have a propensity for owls, Arctic, barred and screech owls. But the blue heron is still my number one seller."

After graduating from Michigan State University’s College of Veterinarian Medicine in 1967, Rollings practiced in South Lyons and Brighton.

During his 22-year career as a veterinarian, he often spent vacations relaxing in Northern Michigan. "My family has deep roots in the Petoskey and Charlevoix areas," he said. "We spent summers at Pine Point."

HOW I GOT STARTED

After work as a veterinarian, during the cold months, I would go to my shop and attempt to do decoys from the market hunting days, trying to duplicate the patina and style of the old master carvers. Some were pretty funny looking.

After a lot of practice, I finally decided to enter the Suttons Bay Art Show. I put 10 of my works out and they all sold by noon of the first day.

THE STORY BEHIND MY ART, MY INSPIRATION

I grew up in the Detroit suburb of Garden City and was raised by a naturalist and outdoor-loving father and mother. I was taught early a deep appreciation and love for wildlife. My father schooled me on the habits, habitat and anatomy of wildlife from birds to fish and insects. I spent all my free time in the woods and wanted to be a trapper.

Dad was also a talented woodworker and he’d do carvings and decoys. Hopefully my works will help stimulate an interest and a deep appreciation for the natural world. This, I hope, will lead one to promote living with the natural world rather than trying to conquer the environment. Nature always wins in the end anyway! Doing so will only make our lives healthier and happier.

WORK I’M MOST PROUD OF

I enjoy it when I get comments about how the pieces make the viewer feel like the animal is lifelike while it morphs out of the driftwood. Very often it’s the wood that sells it. People have said that the piece inspires appreciation and affection for wildlife as well as awareness. This is my goal!

YOU WON’T BELIEVE

That I have had wildlife attack my pieces. Once I was holding up a partridge carving to view the work and a goshawk came down. I felt something swoosh by my neck and that goshawk attempted to grab it from my hand. I was awestruck. I decoyed a goshawk!

MY FAVORITE ARTIST

My wife, MaryBeth Rollings, and the masters of the Impressionist time.

ADVICE FOR ASPIRING ARTISTS

Find something that you are passionate about, something that makes you want to work on till it’s completed, to make you impatient to do something else.

MY WORK CAN BE SEEN/PURCHASED

Main Street Gallery in Leland, Twisted Fish Gallery in Elk Rapids, Ruth Conklin’s Gallery in Glen Arbor, Cog’s Creek Gallery in Traverse City, and driftwoodartist.com.