The Birdman: Woodcarver’s passion takes flight

Vern Hesketh doesn’t mind being called the “the birdman” since he has always been interested in them while growing up in British Columbia, Canada.

“I was fascinated by birds,” he said. He even had a pet crow as a kid.

Over the last 20 years, Hesketh has transferred that fascination to a passion by carving wild birds of all types.

He can take a simple block of wood, cut out the bird shape with a band saw, use tools to detail it, and paint it to complete a magnificent replica of a bird that makes viewers do a double-take since the carvings are so lifelike.

As a teenager, Hesketh took a course in taxidermy and after high school attended the Vancouver School of Art for a year.

“You could either teach or starve,” he said. He didn’t want to teach, “and I didn’t want to starve,” he laughed.

He doesn’t have a degree in art, “just a passion,” in his words. “I was good at art when I was a kid,” he added.

He decided to pursue a career in engineering. Hesketh came to the United States in 1970 and is now a U.S. citizen.

Working as an engineer in the paper and pulp industry, he traveled and lived all around the world, allowing him to observe and study birds on several continents.

He did not start carving until he was in his mid-50s after he retired and met a guy in upstate New York at an “Art in the Park” event and saw his bird carvings.

“And I thought, ‘Geez, I could do that,’” Hesketh said.

He started taking classes with several master woodcarvers all over the country.

“I just had an aptitude for it,” he said. “The first bird that I carved, I took it to a show and got a best in show with it.”

Hesketh has won numerous awards for his birds which have been featured in outdoor magazines and carving publications.

He and his wife, Karolyn, are snowbirds themselves since they reside several months during the year in Pahrump at the Preferred RV Resort. Hesketh spends many hours in the on-site woodshop carving and perfecting his birds.

His wood choice is Tupelo versus basswood, which is similar, but will “fuzz-up” when he uses a diamond drill bit and a wood burning tool to define and texture the feathers.

The most difficult part is crafting the feet since he uses brass, which is shaped and ground to form the claw and toes.

Several years ago a failed surgery for an eye condition caused Hesketh to totally lose sight in his right eye. His passion for carving almost came to a halt.

“He just figured his carving career was over, and he was very depressed,” Karolyn Hesketh said.

A friend and mentor who taught him to carve in the beginning told her to get Vern on a plane for an upcoming class on the East Coast.

It was the end of October, close to Halloween. At that time, Hesketh had to wear a patch over his right eye. As a show of support, his carving buddies also wore patches over their right eye for a class photo.

Karolyn Hesketh is an artist in her own right and used to paint and craft with beads and crystals in designing jewelry.

She now helps her husband by critiquing his work.

“I try to help him get the eyes right,” she said. “If you don’t get the eyes right, it doesn’t matter what you do with your carving, you know, if the face isn’t right, it’s not going to happen.”

She said the same is true for her as a painter.

“If you don’t get the eyes right, it doesn’t matter how good a painter you are.”

Karolyn is not interested in becoming a woodcarver.

“People ask me that and I say, ‘oh no, there’s only enough room in the family for one woodcarver, that’s it’,” she laughed.

Vern Hesketh said his wife told him he does better carvings with vision in one eye than with two.

“Oh, I’ve always said that; it just amazes me,” Karolyn added.

By his estimates, Hesketh has carved hundreds of birds over the years, and was asked about future ones.

“Well, it’s always tough to come up with an idea that inspires you,” Hesketh said. “But I really like owls, and I like hawks.

The biggest birds he has ever carved are the Red-tailed Hawk and the Gyrfalcon.

Residents of Pahrump who are not RVers can pay a membership fee to enjoy the many amenities at the Preferred RV Resort.

James S. Horton, resort general manager, said there are about 400 residents who are members in this category.

“We have a very ambitious group here; they’re always doing something,” Horton said. “They have quite a busy activity schedule and social schedule, and cards and potlucks and get-togethers, and everything you can imagine. We have a lot of members that live here in town and are here literally every single day.”

Other than the woodshop, there are areas for sewing, quilting and working with stained glass, in addition to an exercise room, billiards, a playground, an indoor spa and the only pool in town with a retractable enclosure for swimming year-round.

“People are starting to find out we exist,” Horton said.

He said they are in the “heart of the downtown,” and many longtime residents didn’t know the resort was there.

It is located at 1801 E. Crawford Way across from the Nugget and behind Gold Town.

“And if you’re at Gold Town or the Nugget, basically all you see is a bunch of trees and a few RVs, and most people just never really wonder what’s on the other side of those trees,” Horton said.

For information on the resort and membership fees, click on www.preferredrv.com. The resort is also on Facebook.

More of Hesketh’s bird carvings can be viewed at vernsbirds.blogspot.com or purchased at myrtlewoodgallery.com. You can contact Hesketh at vernsbirds@yahoo.com or by phone at 541-999-2804.