Green artform takes flight

In 1980, when Michael and Susan Veasey had their second child and Michael was laid off from his job, the couple never could have imagined where they would be today. Some 30 years later, they are pioneers in green art – thanks to their hard work, passion and a job that Michael took back in 1980, working with his father, who was manufacturing hand-carved decoys.

Michael spent his days in the 1980’s working on pieces of the decoys his father made – sometimes finishing a piece, sometimes starting, or working somewhere in between. After a year with the company, he carved his first duck decoy from start to finish and realized he had quite a knack for it.

Then, in 1988, their youngest child started school full-time, and Susan came to work in the family business, too. It was around that time that Michael began carving some of his own decoys.

After years of the two working with Michael’s father, the couple struck out on their own in 1995 and formed Northern Wings. The idea was simple: still create decoys, but also slowly usher in more folk-art-style pieces, as well.

One day, a load of reclaimed wood literally showed up on Michael’s doorstep, and he purchased the load and began working with the recycled materials — though they still predominantly were selling cork decoys.

Susan and Michael began working on making some of their carvings look “antiqued” and they developed a process by which to do it. They created a perfect harmony – Michael carves the wood into the birds and Susan finishes them with eco-friendly paints, something she learned to do through practice and self-determination. They would take their pieces to festivals or craft shows two or three times a year, where they were growing in popularity.

The big break for the couple, though, came in 2005, when their son realized that what they were doing was not only artistic but also environmentally friendly. Not only were they using recycled materials in the carvings, but the paints – and even the glass eyes used to complete their carvings – were all “green.”

Their son quickly designed a tag that told customers about the nature of the carvings, and in 2006, they saw a need to shift from high-end duck decoys into the artwork aspect of the collection they had been building.

“With the economy, the phone stopped ringing.” Michael said.

And it makes sense – with a loss of jobs, hobbies are one of the first things to go, and so duck hunters were no longer spending as much on the decoys. Thus, the transition for Northern Wings began. Michael and Susan instead concentrated on the carvings of the beautiful herons, swans and other fabulous birds that they have now used to carve a niche in the green art industry.

Rather than waiting for the phone to ring, they take their hand-crafted eco-treasures to festivals and craft shows — about 22 per year, or two per month.

“A lot of people carve,” said Susan, “But the way we approach it is unique.”

And indeed it is. In fact, each and every bird they carve is different because each piece of wood that is used to carve them is also unique.

They create everything from the earth — from the driftwood bases they scour Broadkill Beach for, to the display crates created of old palettes — they function on a premise of little to no impact. Each year, they expand their carvings to include new birds, and they enjoy the artistic license that they have with their business because, for them, it’s personal, too.

Though they still make the decoys to order, 95 percent of their business now comes from their unique carvings. They have poured their hearts and souls into their work, creating a product that speaks from the earth to the hearts and minds of other art enthusiasts.

For more information, visit www.northern wingsdecoys.com online or call (800) 398-3325 or (302) 629-2863.