Local Artist Soars to World Championship Birdcarving Title

At the prestigious Ward World Championship held this past April in Ocean City, Maryland, Dircks’ sculpture, “Fireworks,” earned a Second Best in World award. The sculpture features male and female goldfinches interacting on a coneflower plan.

This triumph is a point of pride for the local arts community, particularly at LexArt, where Dircks has honed his craft in birdcarving classes with instructor Jane Layton for the past three years. He has also expanded his expertise through personal instruction from master carvers Floyd Scholz of Vermont and Josh Guge of Illinois.

Dircks’ artistic philosophy goes beyond merely replicating a bird’s physical appearance; he strives to capture its unique essence, character, motion, and attitude, all while seamlessly integrating the subject into an authentic habitat.

Achieving this level of realism requires mastering a staggering array of disciplines. His process blends woodcarving, metalwork, soldering, welding, pyrography (for fine feather detailing), embossing, epoxy sculpting, painting, and even furniture woodworking to create the bases for his birds. It is a diverse skillset that Dircks continuously refines.

“Each of my birds is a learning experience and a journey into the unknown,” Dircks shared. “I come out the other side with more knowledge and understanding of the vast array of tools at my disposal. I enjoy challenging myself with each bird to try new techniques, poses and structural problem solving. It keeps my brain sharp and my creativity juiced”.

Already an award-winning portrait artist, illustrator, and designer, Dircks discovered birdcarving in his early 60s and never looked back. The craft perfectly marries his lifelong fascination with birds—especially songbirds—with his extensive background in painting, sculpting, and woodworking. He credits his portraiture expertise for his ability to bring such vibrant, lifelike character to his avian subjects.

His rapid ascent in the carving world has been notable. Within just a few years of starting, he was turning heads at regional and national competitions with his action-filled pieces. Today, his growing acclaim in this highly specialized art form has led to a steady stream of commission work. This busy schedule runs alongside the intensive time he dedicates to his competition pieces, each of which can demand a month or more of meticulous labor to complete.

The Ward World Championship is widely recognized as the largest and most prestigious birdcarving competition on the globe. Celebrating its 55th anniversary this year, the April event draws elite carvers from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Visitors to the Roland E. Powell Convention Center can view roughly 1,200 wildfowl carvings representing over 150 species, a testament to the incredible global talent on display.

Learn more about Dave and his birdcarvings at https://davedircks.com/