Alexander "Alex" Buderer (1943-2018) carved this handsome feeding dowitcher in his woodworking shop in Shell Knob, Missouri, in 1988. He was a talented artist who described himself as a "Wood Artist, Furniture Designer and Builder." From his bio on the Hyde Gallery website:?"I have been inspired by my uncle Alexander Kozak who was a sculptor in New York. To watch my uncle transform and re-define materials was something that really excited me. I love to work with wood that has been cast aside as worthless, then reclaim it to become a work of art." Alex was an admirer of American woodworker and furniture designer George Nakashima, famous for his respect for trees and the author of "The Soul of a Tree."
This stylized carving of a long-billed shorebird is a prime example of Buderer's ability to coax art from wood. The bird has a smooth, sinuous body that's one solid piece of walnut including the beak and tail, all stained a warm brown. The stand is brass and is mounted in a vertically sliced branch with its concentric rings, polished silky smooth on the stained brown top. The bark has been left intact for a beautiful natural edge.
The underside of the base was smoothed but not polished. It's hand signed, etched in the wood, " #109 1988 Alex Buderer." Alex moved his "Alex Buderer Creations" from Long Island, New York, to Shell Knob in 1981, so we know he made this piece in Missouri.
The bird measures 15 1/2 inches long from tip of bill to tip of tail. It stands 8 3/4 inches tall at the tail and 3 inches tall at the bill including the base, which is 2 inches high. Weighing 1 1/4 pounds, it is in excellent condition, a superb woodcarving by a well-known artist.
FF 5306
