Raine's Tavern Decoys, Folk Art ,Collectibles,Antiques

Art Raine

P.O. Box 3282 Salisbury MD 21802

Phone 443-614-6015 Email

Wes Bratcher of Crisfield, MD and avid turkey hunter and decoy carver. Wes has won numerous awards at the Ward Worlds in Ocean City, MD as well as the Ward Chesapeake Challenge Shooting Decoy Contest in Salisbury, MD. Wes's maternal grand father , Marshall English brought the first three tractor trailer loads of balsa wood to Steve and Lem Ward in the 1940's as told to Wes by Steve Ward .

.One of the great modern Chincoteague carvers.Reggie Birch has been carving decoys for almost 30 years. He is nationally known for his ability to make a brand new decoy look 100 years old.
The Birch family can trace their roots in America to 1763. This is the year they were  aboard the ship "Miss Kitty" when she wrecked on Assateague Island.  The community of North Beach was on Assateague near the present Md/Va line. North Beach had a saltworks andrendered sea salt. Today there is no evidence of the North Beach Community.
Reggie Birch

Brian Picirrillo painting a black duck and "Bud" "working on a goose".

Colin McNair and his American merganser.

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Mark McNair in his shop proudly sharing some of his older sculptures.

Rich Smoker
Marion Station, Maryland Best in World Shootin' Rig
Merganser pair and red-throated loon

Smoker felt that these birds would work well together because they were all connected by the color red. They are birds he sees at home on the Annamessic River, and he began with one photo of a pair of red-breasted mergansers. They took 4 to 5 months to carve and about a month to paint. The birds are carved of Tupelo, with some American Holly used for structure. The feet, bills, and tails contain some brass for strength. The keels are carved of Paudak, an African wood. The birds are painted with oil paint.

The bases are masterworks of carving as well, and they used many types of wood from around the world; the keel guides are Purple Heart from Central America. The tops of the bases are heart from Central America, Mahogany from Asia, Yellow Heart from South America, and American walnut from North America. Smoker calls the selection “woods of the world.”

Rich faced a special challenge in carving this rig. He began the project while his mother was ill in 2007, and finished them after her death earlier this year.

Grayson Chesser at his Holden Creek Hunting Lodge

Oliver Lawson displays a pair of his gunning pintails in Crisfield, MD 2008.

Vice President and Bob Jester Share the Decoys Art and Oliver Lawson

Zeb Barfield ,auction sales Hallwood,VA	Art,Cigar and Scott celebrate a birthday.
Art shares a picture with Delbert "Cigar " Daisey of Chincoteague and Grayson Chesser of Jenkins Bridge , VA.
Four master carvers Cigar,Scott, Grayson and Oliver.
Henrey Stansbury shares his Ira Hudson pintail collection in Easton 2006.
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Bob Jester discusses Miles Hancock black duck in Easton 2006 (left) Delbert "Cigar" Daisey is all smiles as one of his decoys sells for big money at Zeb's in VA. (right)
Scott & Keith show off their bluebills at the end of the season, Jan,07.
Grayson Chesser, Sanford, Va.Grayson studied and spent many a hour with Miles Hancock of Chincoteague Island and carved his first decoy in 1961 and still owns it today. A man of few words, Grayson not only creates excellent decoys he hunts with them @ his Holden Creek Gunning Club. This lodge is first class and offers all types of duck and goose gunning. Grayson has forgotten more about decoys and gunning history of the Eastern Shore than most of us will learn.
37 year old Ronald Justice of Chincoteague, VA with one of his gunning black ducks . Ronald studied and learned as a kid from the great Delbert "Cigar" Daisey. I could not pry this black duck away because Ronald had already promised it to someone, which I respect. I will have one of Ronald's gunning birds in the near future. This is a maker to start a collection of while his prices are reasonable. Ronald's ballast weights are molded from his grandmother's cast iron cornbread mold.
Art shares a picture with Delbert "Cigar " Daisey of Chincoteague and Grayson Chesser of Jenkins Bridge , VA.
Ira Skees