On the Cover: Jack Fishwick:
Over the past 30 years Europe has certainly proved it has the most accomplished bird taxidermists in the world, especially when it comes to small non-gamebirds. Jack Fishwick of Wigan, England, is one of those masters of bird taxidermy. His red-tailed laughingthrush entry at the UK Guild of Taxidermists in Swanwick, Derbyshire, captured the 2017 Breakthrough Award for Judges’ Choice Best of Show. “I started working on this piece maybe three years before the show. Whilst out birdwatching I came across a cherry plum tree that was starting to blossom, and as it flowers very early in the spring I was captivated not only by the blossoms but also the scent in the cool springtime air. I cut a piece and immediately on returning home I started to make the flowers from paper and acrylic. Each blossom took nearly an hour to make and I used more than eighty on the branch. The branch was formed from brass tubing soldered and modelled over with an acrylic composition and then hand painted with gouache and acrylic paints. The finished branch then sat in my workshop for more than two years, patiently waiting for the right bird to land. One day I received a red-tailed laughing thrush in the post from a birdkeeper and immediately knew that it was “the one.” Two days later it was finished. Jack will be one of the bird judges at the 2019 World Taxidermy Championships®.
In This Issue
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The Breakthrough Gallery 2017 Fish Carving Winners
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Reference Study: Aoudads Larry Blomquist
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Pedestal Backs with an Artistic Flare Kurt Ainsworth
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Moose Skull Boiler Tony Grabowski
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Breakthrough Award Winners 2017
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Articulated Skeleton Basics 101 Jim Hess
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Putting Your Kids to Work in Your Shop John Jennings
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2019 World Show News Larry Blomquist
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Reference Study: Wild Turkeys Larry Blomquist
- I Wood Like to Know Larry Goldman
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