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On the drive south of Cadillac on M-115 we stopped by a road garage-shop that caught my eye.
The kids groaned and stayed in the minivan awhile but I soon talked them into checking out the colorful folk artist whose work was inside the building. (Some kids are so conservative, eh? They stay within their comfort zones. It’s not like our kids are ever disappointed. I bring them to new places constantly, they resist nearly every time and they always have a good time. So very strange, childhood is.)
After I peeked around a bit Dave came around and said Hi. He mentioned that he was one of two Master Carvers in the state or maybe the Midwest. His work is amazing to me. To us. The kids loved it. His bullheads and tadpoles particularly caught our eye.
Dave said he used to fish with my old fishing lure hero, Bud Stewart, who I’ve posted about here elsewhere and who is the only (other) lure-maker whose work I have. Cool!
Dave carves pike spearing decoys mostly. I says they’re usually collected but that they do indeed work really well.
His work often has a psychedelic aspect, I think, with surreally vibrant colors. News clippings on the walls and certificates show that his work is collected and displayed far and wide.
It sure looked great to me!
…And Dave was an extra-friendly guy as well.
Kober has even made some Inuit-inspired decoys.
A carving scene.
