Mark Belanger has a way with Chickadees. It may not look like it to anyone who hasn't tried to carve and paint one, but our jaunty little Maine State Bird is notoriously difficult to paint and get right...Mark has the touch, whether it's one of his full-bodied realistics like this one just below or one of his imaginative vertical mount pieces.

This photo doesn't begin to do justice to this little guy, but I'm afraid it's the best we can do here on the Net with 72 dpi pictures. Still, even in this shot, it's impossible to tell this carving from the real thing. He has done a beautiful job, and this would be a asset to any collection (We collect Mark's pieces too).

Lifesize Realistic Chickadee on Driftwood Base
US$300.

When was the last time you saw a wall mount carving? Most folks never have. No worries, either piece can also sit on a shelf as you can see here. The "White Birch" on the left, by the way, isn't...it's really cedar that Mark has transformed into birch by the skillful use of texture and paint. It makes a unique mounting. Why not just use the real thing? Simple. Anyone who has tried it will tell you that as soon as the birch dries out, the bark falls off. This way you don't have that problem, or the attendant one of the little critters that live under birchbark invading your house. We're also fond of the Chickadee in the weathered pine birdhouse, and find the earth tones a nice accent to the Chickadees' black and white.

Wall-Mount Chickadees
@US$75.

Downy Woodpeckers

As you can see from this photo, he has the touch with Downy Woodpeckers as well. These are fully detailed realistic pieces mounted on natural driftwood. This piece can stand on a shelf as seen here, or can be mounted on a wall. The Downies are lifesize...this piece measures approximately 14" tall (Each is different of course.)

US$335.

What do you suppose has caught their attention?