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Wood Duck Drake, 1986 and Black-Bellied Plover, 1993, Working decoy,
William D. Sarni (b. 1942)
Hingham, Massachusetts
Wood, paint
Wood duck: 5 3/4 x 13 x 6 1/2 in. Shorebird: 14 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.
Collection of the artist
Photography by Jason Dowdle
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Bill Sarni grew up in Hingham next door to Joseph W. Lincoln (1859 - 1938), a famous decoy carver whose birds are highly prized by collectors. A hunter and fisherman, Bill carved his first duck decoy in the early 1980s. This wood drake duck is made of native northern white pine. The black-bellied plover is a shorebird carved from white cedar.
Bill spent much of his youth hunting and fishing in the woods. Bill continues to observe songbirds, ducks, and shorebirds from his current home overlooking the Weir River, but his greatest joy comes from carving "smooth bodied" or "slick" working decoys, used by hunters to lure ducks.
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