UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 14, Page 4
December 12, 1991
Feathered Friends; Helping wildlife is focus of woodcarver's precise art

     Decoys are not just for ducks. They are a highly prized art
form, found in museums and private collections, according to George
Reilly, a part-time teacher of chemistry at the University, who
became involved in the intricate, demanding art six years ago.
     A man of many talents, Reilly was formerly director of
scientific research at Winterthur Museum. He is a furniture and
cabinetmaker, having learned the craft from his father and
grandfather. Most recently he has added "award-winning carver of
decoys" to his list of accomplishments.
     Reilly's decoys are meticulously crafted and lifelike in every
way. He makes his own patterns, after doing research in books,
photographs, museums and from life. Using bass wood from linden
trees, he carves the shape and then does the complex detail work.
For his realistic wooden "feathering," he uses a wood burner and
acrylic paints to achieve the brilliant and subtle hues of a wood
duck, or the soot-black color of a coot. It takes approximately 400
hours to create each decoy, Reilly said.
     Reilly has entered several competitions and has dozens of
ribbons that attest to his expertise. Most recently he won two blue
ribbons in a decorative, gunning decoy competition co-sponsored by
Winterthur and the Delaware Wildlands.
     He also took part in an international competition held in
Ocean City, Md., which attracts craftspersons worldwide. More than
3,000 decoys were entered, and Reilly received three honorable
mentions and a second-place award.
     Unlike some decorative artforms, decoys must be functional as
well as beautiful and true-to-life. They are tested in water, since
their original purpose was to attract other waterfowl, Reilly said.
For the gunning contest, decoys not only had to float but be able
to right themselves if capsized.
     "Where working decoys are actually used, the water can be
rough so that decoys must be weighted and balanced correctly to
return to an upright position if turned over," Reilly said.
     In some instances, the inside of the decoy is hollowed out and
filled with foam and a keel is added. Hunters tie a rope around the
keel when the decoy is set loose upon the water so that it can be
retrieved.
     The Wild Goose Gallery in Intercourse, Pa. markets Reilly's
work, but he confesses to some regret when one of his decoys is
sold. He does not make decoys on commission because that "takes the
fun out of it."
     Recently, Reilly has expanded his carving to include
songbirds. One example is a chickadee on a small branch with a
spray of holly below. He is currently creating a goldfinch.
     Several years ago, he adopted a goose, or rather, a gosling
adopted him. A goose had a nest on the bank of a pond on his
property. One day, he noticed one of the eggs had slipped out into
the water, and he retrieved it and brought it home.
     His children wanted to incubate and hatch the egg. The family
rigged up a homemade incubator, turning the egg periodically and
wetting it.
     In 17 days, Reilly heard a noise. The goose was ready to be
hatched-a process that lasted two days. The first things the goose
saw were Reilly and the family poodle. There was instant bonding as
happens with wild birds, he explained.
     The dog was very protective of the goose and never harmed it,
and the two were together frequently. As the goose matured, it was
kept in a pen during the day. At night, it demanded to be let in
the house, where it paraded through the living room and dining room
to the family room where it joined the family on its pad to watch
television. At bedtime, the goose was placed in a box and covered
up until the family was astir the next day.
     When a trip west was planned, Reilly took the goose to a
wildlife and bird sanctuary. In a few days, the goose vanished but
was thought to be at Bellevue Park. Reilly spent days and hours
trying to locate the goose.
     Then, one day while working at Winterthur, he saw his goose,
which had a distinctive tear in its beak.
     The goose was not in good condition, Reilly recalled, but
recognized him as well. Reilly's wife came and took the goose home
until it was healthy again.
     "This time we released it at Winterthur. It never joined the
flock there, but was befriended by two trumpeter swans until one
day the goose flew away and has not been seen since," Reilly said.
     Reilly cares for birds in other ways. Each year, he and his
wife hatch a dozen quail eggs and release the chicks in the summer.
He and his neighbor also feed and encourage pheasants and wild
turkeys in their area, and the number is increasing. But the
ultimate way he shows his appreciation of the distinctive beauty of
waterfowls and birds is by using his artistic talents to
commemorate them.
                                        - Sue Swyers Moncure