A Chip Off the Old Block

Bob began carving in grade six. His first miniatures were of horses, carved in bars of Ivory Soap. He sold them to fellow classmates and neighbours in Smiths Falls to bankroll his passion for bird hunting. Bob’s dad, Arden Kerr, an accomplished “jack-of-all-trades” and an avid outdoorsman, gave Bob his first Daisy Red Ryder BB gun on his tenth Christmas. Bob taught himself to be an outstanding marksman, but it took thousands of rounds of BBs and shells to acquire the skill he still enjoys today hunting in Mexico, Texas, Argentina and Canada.

Kerr spent his teenage years duck and goose hunting in the marshes around the family cottage that his father built on Lower Rideau Lake. He became a decoy carver when he encountered a well-equipped group of hunters sporting an impressive catch of black ducks — and a huge array of expensive decoys that were beyond his financial means. Fortunately for Bob, he had access to the work of one of Canada’s finest decoy carvers, Davey Nichol, then in his 60s, who also lived in Smiths Falls. By the late 1950s, Bob had honed his skills to the point that local duck hunters were asking him to carve entire decoy “rigs” for them.

When he heard of a decoy competition being held in Syracuse in 1961, Kerr thought he had a good chance to start making a name for himself. It was a humbling and highly motivating experience. He came home with three awards in the “Beginner” category, and a determination to make it into the top ranks. Between 1965 and 1967 he took first place for an unprecedented three times at the Canadian National Decoy Show in Toronto. In 1967 he also captured “Best in Show” at the U.S. National Decoy Show in Babylon, NY, for a clean sweep that firmly established him among the greats in the field.

Forty years later, Bob Kerr’s miniature ducks and other birds are being sold across Canada, the US and the world. His older decoys sometimes sell for over a thousand dollars at auctions. A life-size Great Blue Heron he carved in 1980 has been exhibited at the National Collection of Fine Arts in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In Salisbury, Md., Kerr’s gorgeous pair of full-size white Whistling (Tundra) Swans in flight greet visitors to the renowned Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art. They are incontestable evidence of Kerr’s mastery of all the elements of bird carving — a deep knowledge of the anatomical structure of the subject, engineering and technical expertise, and a superb gift for drawing, sculpting and painting. They also illustrate why Kerr’s birds attracted the attention and patronage of eminent sports art dealer Russell Fink: “The heart and soul of Bob’s art is his ability to capture the essence of the bird.”

Railroaded Into It

Like the new book, Bob’s carving career has been a long journey. As an impatient teen, he quit high school and worked for 18 months doing hard physical labour at a local hardware store. Then he headed west with two buddies to “make their fortunes”. They learned a lot more than they earned, and two months later they were back in Smiths Falls. They missed the opening of duck season by one day.

When he heard about openings with CP Rail, Bob went to Montreal, wrote some exams, and started an 18-year career as a railroad fireman, stoking hand-fired coal engines. He also married his neighbour, Mary, and raised five kids. As the railroad converted to diesel, Bob and Mary started weighing the possibility of Bob’s becoming a full-time carver. He had a huge back-log of orders for his decoys, and with lay-offs looming at CP, in 1975 they decided to take the leap into the high-risk world of the self-employed.

Today, in his 70s, Bob is carving full-time, and enjoying every minute of it. In 2001, after being a widower for ten years, Bob married Evelyn, a former friend who also lost her spouse. The gorgeous swan he carved for her is the Christmas centrepiece on the dining room table, and when I ask to see his paintings, she selects another one to frame for display in the house.

The paintings and sketches are just a small part of the extensive research Kerr does to capture the essence of each bird. Two people have been instrumental in helping him build an impressive personal library that ranges far beyond wildfowl and carving. Russ Fink, who advises all his prospective art collector clients to spend their first thousand dollars on books, has provided guidance, and many of Bob’s wide-ranging and highly treasured books were acquired through his friendship with a book dealer who collects Bob’s sculptures.

The miniature Labrador Ducks on page 132 of his book are an excellent example of the thoroughness with which Bob approaches each new subject. The decision to include this species, extinct since sometime in the late 19th century, led to a trip to the Smithsonian Institution with Russ Fink. There, Bob was able to take measurements from a canvas by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, probably the last artist to have painted this species from live models. This love of his subject and his enduring quest to learn everything possible about them is Kerr’s hallmark. It may seem ironic to some birders, but Kerr’s love of hunting has triggered a life-time devotion to the creation of an invaluable resource celebrating waterfowl.

Kerr is well aware of the shifting sensibilities regarding hunting, but he couldn’t repress his mischievous sense of humour when he overheard a group of birders waxing eloquent about a sighting of a rare (in this area) sandhill crane. When Bob commented provocatively that they made good eating, a highly indignant birder retorted, “I suppose you shoot people, too!” Without missing a beat, Bob retorted, “Nah, they’re too hard to clean”, and continued on his way.

Don’t miss the opportunity on Saturday, February 17 to meet this colourful local character who so well captures the character of the birds and other characters he carves. Hopefully Bob will bring along one of his humourous caricature carvings when he signs copies of his spectacular new book at Read’s Book Shop in Carleton Place. You can contact Robert Kerr by email or by phone at 283–0466.