While on a vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in 1983, Ken visited a decoy shop and was fascinated by the wildfowl carvings on display.
He purchased a rough blank for a decoy to try his hand at carving and painting. He was already an experienced woodworker who had made most of the furniture in his home. With this first decoy, his carving career began.
He began selling his birds in decoy shops on the Outer Banks and then expanded to shops in Maryland and New Jersey, later in Maine. In his early years, he discovered a special fascination with old classic decoys made by famous carvers.
He has won many ribbons for his duck and shorebird carvings at competitions. He has also served as a judge at the Ocean County Decoy show held in Tuckerton, NJ. He was awarded “Carver of the Year” in 2014 by the NJ Decoy Collector’s and Carvers Club.
Although he does all kinds of birds, he has recently begun making miniature birds and bird trees. After 30 plus years of experience, he still enjoys visualizing a bird in a block of wood and bringing it to life.
