For as long as Jim can remember he has been working with wood. From building model boats and planes as a youngster to carving birds today, wood is something he always has in his hands. In high school he was always in the woodshop making projects. From there it was off to college where he became a woodworking teacher for 13 years. It was while he was teaching he started carving. First it was whales & dolphins that caught his interest. Then he heard of Robert & Virginia Warfield, bird carvers from Jaffrey, NH. This couple were considered among the top ten bird carvers in the world. Seeing how real these bird carvings seemed, he asked if they would teach him.
To his surprise they said no, but would critique his efforts. For the next two years every bird carving he made, he would get their observations on what to do to improve. After two years they said he was good enough to sell his work. They also encouraged him to enter competitions.
In 1997 he entered the New England wood carving and wildlife art exposition. He received two first in class awards for his pair of mallards and his egret. Since then he has entered several competitions with awards including the following. Awards
► Honorable Mention at the 1997 Ward World Competition
► First and Third place at the 1998 New England Carving Exposition
► First place and Best-in-show at the 1998 Wildlife Artisans Association Exposition
► Best-in-Class and 2nd Best-in-Show at the New England Carving Exposition
► Best-in-Show and Best-in-Competition at the 1999 Wildlife Artisan Exposition
► 2nd and 3rd place at the 2000 Down East Woodcarving Exposition
► 1st and 2nd Best-in-Show at the 2001 Down East Woodcarving Exposition
► 1st and Best of Show in the 2001 Penobscot Bay Carving Exposition
With many future projects planned, look for Mr. Hilton to become a recognized figure in the carving community.
Since 2001 he has been busy supplying stores with his work.
⌂ Duck Trap Bay - Camden, Maine
⌂ Peterborough Fine Art - Peterborough, New Hampshire
⌂ Massachusetts Audubon Society - Concord, Massachusetts
⌂ Sharon Art Center - Sharon, New Hampshire
⌂ Sheldon Fine Art - Newport, R I
This has not left him much time to go into competitions. "Seems like I'm in the middle of something when the competitions come. " he says.
With many more projects planned, keep coming back to this web site to see more finished carvings.
I do create custom orders, If you bring, e-mail, or send me a photo of a particular bird that you are interested in, just contact Jim e-mail
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