Greater Roadrunner and Red Diamond Rattlesnake

Western North America and southern California

It seems that other bird carvers have been inspired by a dramatic photograph in the May 1983 National Geographic.  I kept the magazine for many years hoping to have a chance to recreate the scene, and during those years I saw two or three versions done by other carvers.  I finally had a chance when someone asked me to do a roadrunner, and was interested in the concept.  The final product is mounted on a slab of granite, which in turn rests on a section of trunk from a downed oak tree.  The rattlesnake appears elsewhere on this web site in the unpainted state. 

This carving was the most time-consuming that I have ever done, and sold for the highest price.  It was commissioned in the early 1990s.