Sharon Real Estate would like to pay tribute to Eddie Wozny, an exceptional wildlife carver hailing from Dorchester County. When speaking with Eddie about his career, the word that immediately comes to mind is “serendipitous”. Eddie graduated from Salisbury University with a degree in Biology, but he had always been quite handy and adept at figuring things out mechanically. After he met and married Becky Richardson, whose father Bobby Richardson was involved in the antique duck decoy business, Becky gave Eddie a carving knife as a gift in their first or second year of marriage, which ultimately sparked his career in carving. However, Eddie admitted that his first few pieces were quite “crude”, and during his first show at the Dorchester Center for the Arts annual Showcase, he didn’t manage to sell a single carving. Nonetheless, with Bobby’s extensive knowledge of duck decoys and the use of his inventory as examples, Eddie’s expertise began to develop. Although he had initially started carving in 1985, it wasn’t until 1989 that he was able to carve as a full-time job. Despite the initial struggles, his determination and persistence eventually led him to success.
In the beginning of his carving career, Eddie only had a 6″ Sears Craftsman Band saw, which forced him to start carving smaller birds such as shorebirds. It wasn’t until he saved enough money to buy a 12″ band saw that he was able to carve his first duck. Eddie is entirely self-taught, but he did spend a few hours observing Ronnie Rue, Richard Drescher, and Grason Chesser, all of whom are well-known carvers. When reflecting on earlier days, Eddie remembered the first carving he ever made through Shirley Brannock’s 8th grade art class. Ronnie Rue had guided them to make a little duck head, which Eddie still has today. His next carving was for Bob Rader’s history class, where the project was on local culture and historical items. Eddie’s project focused on duck decoys and their heritage in Dorchester County.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the demand for wildlife/waterfowl carvings and paintings was at its peak, and Eddie’s timing in entering the business was spot on. He began carving every day and travelling to various shows. Eddie has built up a strong clientele base, and he primarily carves on commission. Recently, he sold a Snapping Turtle carving through Guyette & Deeter of St. Michaels, an auction house that represents the most important decoy collections and wildlife carvings in North America, for a new personal best. Currently, he is carving a blue crab for an upcoming auction. Eddie’s collectors can be found all over the US, and he is currently working on Ring Neck Pheasants in Flight for a commission in Colorado.
According to Eddie, “You can do something all your life for money, but to do something with artistic value that people spend their hard-earned money to collect and become a generational artwork, I can’t wait to get up and go do it!”. If you are interested in viewing and purchasing Eddie Wozny’s artwork, you can do so at the Delmarva Decoy Collectors Association on Saturday, September 14th at the East New Market Firehouse, as well as the Waterfowl Festival in Easton from November 8-10.
