David Sears

For seventy-plus years I have immersed myself in water - Pennsylvania creeks, New Hampshire lakes, Cape Cod beaches, the coast of Nova Scotia, the Delaware River and the Gulf of Maine. Exploring nature with the eyes of a child and the awareness of a student, parent, educator, photographer, filmmaker, woodworker, writer and painter, my pattern has been to gather knowledge from a small section of the natural world and share it through creative, site-specific activities. For the past two decades I have lived part of each year on Matinicus, a small Maine island on the outer edge of Penobscot Bay, where I make things and try to understand life on a mountaintop surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.

My carved and painted birds reflect my interest in cultures around the world in which artisans produce objects demonstrating a valued and intense knowledge of the smallest details of their environment - specifically related to local waterfowl. Their birds combine function, sophisticated woodworking and designs with traditional environmental and cultural knowledge, resulting in birds imbued with beauty, mysticism and the pragmatic need to attract sources of food. I hope my work honors those traditions, expands the concept and encourages a greater appreciation of traditional skills, the fragility of all environments and the critical need to preserve unspoiled locales, cultures and living things.

My work has supported many environmental and educational groups including the Island Institute, OceansWide, the Tinicum Conservancy, Friends of the Upper Delaware River, the Georges River Land Trust, the Maine Seacoast Mission, Maine Audubon and the Maine Fishermen’s Association. A series of birds based on wooden lobster buoys supports Matinicus Island projects including the library, church and school.

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David Sears

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