Decoy carving is a time-honored respite
OCONOMOWOC - The world is seemingly spinning faster than ever these days.
As normalcy is pierced by the coronavirus pandemic, some would argue it's also out of control.
The unsettling times have many Wisconsinites searching for a calming, productive activity that can be practiced at home.
Bill Koelpin Jr. of Oconomowoc could be their role model.
He didn't know it, but he's been preparing for "shelter in place" protocols for more than 50 years.
Koelpin, 61, is an award-winning wildlife artist and decoy carver.
He spends his days painting at an easel in his studio and shaping wood in his workshop. Both work areas are at the home he shares with his wife Marie and his dogs, Parker and Chester.
The Oconomowoc River is just a long cast away. On this overcast March day, the water is dotted with common goldeneyes and lesser scaup.
"If I'm looking for inspiration, I don't have to look far," Koelpin said. "Today I even watched a squirrel packing a nest in my yard."
Koelpin always has his eyes open, even when people are hunkering down.
He then takes what he sees and transfers it to wood and paper.
It's a habit he learned from his father, Bill Koelpin, Sr, a giant in the Wisconsin art scene from the 1960s to 1990s.
Koelpin Sr. was a Wauwatosa fireman who transitioned into a full-time sculptor, decoy carver and painter. His work won dozens of prizes in elite competitions; his renown extended beyond the wildlife world and his commissions included a painting of the U.S.S. Wisconsin that hung in the governor's mansion and capitol in Madison.
It could be said the younger Koelpin was destined to be a professional artist, too.
"My dad wasn't one to let his kids sit on the couch and watch TV," said Koelpin. "He'd round me up and get me to join him in the basement to work on projects."
The example of a family working on art together at home is especially poignant today. For the Koelpins, it was an avocation turned vocation.
Bill Koelpin Jr. said he started out by carving very small ducks, just a couple inches long.
Encouraged by his father, he kept at it.
At age 8 Koelpin entered his first decoy carving competition. He also began selling his decoys at shows for $1 or $2.
Later, as he won ribbons at contests, Koelpin began selling decoys for substantially higher prices and trading decoys for guided hunts.
"I guess I was fortunate, because I not only had a father who was a mentor, but I enjoyed every bit of the painting and carving," Koelpin said.
Koelpin lost his father at an early age. Bill Koelpin Sr. died of brain cancer in 1996; he was just 58.
The younger Koelpin remained inspired by his father and his art career continued to progress, but it was a sidelight. After high school he began work at a full-time day job; it lasted 28 years.
"I always thought I would wake up one day and be a professional artist," Koelpin said. "I learned that it doesn't just happen that way. Finally, though, I made the decision and went for it."
His career as a full-time wildlife artist and carver began in 2007.
His first job was painting cherubs and doves on a ceiling in a home on Milwaukee's East Side.
Over the last decade, Koelpin has gained more commissions and does most of his work in his home studio and workshop.
He's also recently begun doing more carving, even entering pieces in decoy contests again. His work has won several ribbons in events sponsored by the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association.
Koelpin was in part encouraged to do more carving by his friend Mark Kakatsch, also of Oconomowoc, who asked him for some tips on carving cork decoys.
Koelpin didn't just provide verbal guidance; he bought some cork, too, and the men now regularly spend time together making decoys in Koeplin's workshop.
The space is filled with family and conservation memorabilia that also serves as inspiration to the artist. Atop one wall are decoys carved by Koelpin's father and grandfather. A pair of marsh skis is displayed on the opposite side.
Deer antlers, study skins of birds and full-body taxidermy mounts of ducks line shelves.
The tools of the trade are also at hand, including band saws, gouges, rasps and knives.
A half-dozen basswood blocks, with dark outlines of duck and goose profiles sketched on their sides, await the carver's blade.
"It's a lot of fun creating something out of a rough block of wood," Koelpin said. "It's all up to you and there's no right way or wrong way. I tell people to just enjoy it."
Koelpin still draws on advice given to him decades ago by his father and Marty Murk, 92, of Dousman. Murk was the winner of the 1977 design contest for the Federal Duck Stamp.
"They told me not to try to be like anyone else but find my own style," Koelpin said. "That's about the best thing I could pass along, too."
If people are interested in decoy carving, Koelpin said they should try completing a simple design. Then do a second. Then a third.
"Don't worry about what those first ones look like," Koelpin said. "If you get through a few, you'll probably stick with it and then you can start to work on more advanced techniques."
Koelpin said he can spend 40 to 60 hours on a single decoy.
The work, though, is a fulfilling combination of mental and physical activity.
And in his case, each carving session acts as a touchstone to his family legacy.
"It's easy to get immersed in the work and lose track of time," Koelpin said. "I've always considered it time well spent."
In a time of social distancing and self-quarantine, other families would do well to take a cue from the Koelpins.
Decoy carving: Waterfowl decoy carving dates back hundreds of years in Europe and North America.
For much of the early to mid-20th Century, hunters either carved their own blocks or purchased commercially-produced wooden or cork dekes.
The creations also became recognized as American folk art.
In 2017, the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association hosted its first Decoy Carving Championship. The event was held in Stevens Point in conjunction with the Federal Duck Stamp Art Competition.
The WWA has made the decoy competition an annual event. The organization's goals for the competition include: honoring the traditions of handcarved decoys that have played an important role in waterfowling; to showcase the decoys of the best carvers in Wisconsin and the nation; and provide opportunities to compete, learn, and network for carvers of all levels, from beginners to world champions.
This year the WWA carving championship will be held July 31 to Aug. 1 at Mead Education Center at Mead State Wildlife Area in Milladore. To learn more, visit www.wisducks.org or call (800) 524-8460.