Tall pines reside
‘neath a crisp blue sky,
golden beams shine down
in acute degree.
Suddenly, white arches rise,
bending bows as he soars –
upward clutching treasure.
I cry out, “take me!”
I am lifted, I am free,
Eagle Boy is me.
The Eagle has landed, finally! Eagle Boy, a 3 foot carved white oak sculpture, is a project I’ve had in the works for about six years. This winter I decided the time was right to finally dig in and finish it.
I first observed two branches of oak joined in the center by a burl, and I immediately envisioned a young boy with his arms in the air waiting to be picked up. I studied it for weeks before I got up the nerve to carve into it. I managed to rough out a pretty good shape that looked somewhat like my vision, but I did not really have the skills or the confidence to go further, so I let it sit.
I began working in other media. First it was bone and then antler. Later I began working with metal. This changed my focus entirely. I worked under magnification and learned to push metal into doing exactly what I wanted. I think this is what eventually gave me the confidence to go back and finish Eagle Boy.
People have commented on the scariness of the face, and I consider that a compliment. I have long been fascinated by the scary figures on the bows of the Viking Ships. If I’ve created a being that scary, I consider it a success.
Keith Plummer 