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As a native of Michigan I have been able to live with and enjoy nature and wildlife just outside my door. I was living in Alaska, however, when I started carving signs and making furniture for friends in the 1980's. In 1989 I moved to Nevada with my family. I went to a trade show in California and saw Dr.Lew Jensen demonstrating a tool he had invented for etching glass and carving wood. It was the type of tool I had been looking for.
I have carved many wildlife and nature scenes in all types of wood, eggshells, gun stocks, and guards. My carved ostrich egg shells were featured in a 30 minute demonstration on PBS. In the last 10 years I have spent most of my time carving wildlife and leaf designs on wooden bowls and selling my work in shows all over Michigan. Last year I saw some guards with art work on them. I realized that my carvings and paintings would look great on gourds also. I have been carving gourds for one and a half years now and my customers love my work. For the last four years I have also been making and selling artistic sand-blasting of wildlife and nature scenes in the fronts of mirrors.
I can be contacted at alaskagraybeard@yahoo.com
Darrel Frederick
