Alaska Trip August 2010

Rich was lucky enough to take the trip of his lifetime last August, as wife and webmaster Rita gave him an Alaskan cruise for his big birthday in 2010.  We could write a book about the experience, but suffice to say that an all day fishing trip for Salmon and Halibut out of Sitka was the high point of the trip.  Rich caught the 15 lb. Silver (Coho) shown above, as well as several Halibut (we only kept 1), a 30 lb. Ling Cod, and a couple of sharks.  Best fishing trip ever, and combined with getting to see the Sockeye spawning run in a couple of rivers, Rich came home quite inspired to carve Salmon.  There is a new Silver Salmon on the site now, and soon to come are the other 4 Alaskan Salmon.  The ocean was a bit rough that day, and a big thanks to Captain Jack Christenson, the best captain Rich ever fished with, for a smooth ride and lots of fish.

Collector series of lures featuring popular gamefish!

These Collector Series lures feature realistically carved and painted fish available in several species of popular gamefish.  Rtistic Lures are all hand carved and painted (no airbrush) and individually tuned, and are signed with a woodburned “R” and individually numbered.   All hardware is either stainless steel or brass for durability.  Every lure receives 3 protective clear coats. 

All of the Collector Series lures are weighted, working lures with quality hardware.  We realize most customers will display rather than use these lures, but they are made to use if you wish to.  The lures are packaged in a custom box and are branded, signed, and individually numbered.

Decoy Magazine Article

Rich was one of the carvers honored to be featured in the January/February 2007 issue of Decoy Magazine.  Rich’s photo and interview are included in a story about the carvers and demonstrators at the Tuckerton Seaport Museum.

Artist in Residence, Tuckerton Seaport Museum

Rich was honored to do a 3 day residency at the Tuckerton, NJ, Seaport Museum in the spring of 2008.  The artists in residence at the Seaport are sponsored by a National Endowment for the Arts grant, and Rich was excited to be one of the participants.  Shown is a photo of Rich with his decoys displayed at the Seaport when he was the featured artist during the summer of 2006.  Below is a photo of the Brook Trout and jig stick that Rich completed during his residency.  It is now on display at the Seaport Museum.

Decoy Contests 2011

Rich competed at the Tuckerton Decoy Show for the 15th year in September 2011.  He won an unprecedented 11th Best of Show in this year’s event, in addition to numerous other ribbons.  Look for some of these award winning decoys which are now available for sale on this website.

Nouveau Article

Rich was the subject of a very nice article on local handcrafts in the October, 2004 issue of Nouveau Magazine.  Nouveau is a local magazine covering the arts, antiques, and lifestyle in Bucks County, PA.

Click Here to Link to Nouveau Article.

Deck & Garden Fish

This large (16.5″ long) white cedar American Shad was carved for outdoor use on a deck or in a garden.  It can be mounted on either a sturdy dowel for deck mounting or on a copper pole for garden display.  The fish has a burned and stained finish, hand made copper eyes, and hand hammered copper fins that are pinned into the body.  Outdoor fish are available in many different species and sizes; contact us for more info.  We currently have a shad as shown above available; email rich@darkwaterdecoys.com for information.

Tuckerton  Decoy Carving Class

On April 14 and 21, 2007, Rich gave a class on carving, weighting, and painting fishing plugs at the Tuckerton Seaport Museum.  Everyone had a great time and made some very nice lures, and the local Asbury Park Press was there to video and write a very informative article.

Recently Rich has been giving one on one instruction to interested students and welcomes inquiries from anyone interested in private lessons in both decoy and lure making and painting.  Email us for information at: rich@darkwaterdecoys.com