Keith Mueller

Keith Mueller carves traditional New England sea duck decoys that he actually uses in hunting. A self-taught expert in waterfowl anatomy, Keith has compiled an illustrated guide to the ecosystems, feeding habits, and anatomical structure of the birds he loves, based on years of first-hand observation. "Form and function are what I'm trying to get across...you draw what you witness, break down your observations...The best thing of all these years of carving is the research I'm doing. It will affect my carving tremendously." In addition to the working decoys, Keith has perfected his skill in carving and painting realistic birds. He is a multi-year winner of the World Championship in the Hunting Decoy Division and several other divisions at the Ward Foundation annual competition in Ocean City, Maryland.

The traditional decoys hold great interest for Keith, because a long line of carvers designed, refined, and tested them for a purpose. Early decoy forms have simple, almost stylized lines. They are painted to suggest the species of duck but do not need to depict plumage realistically. The point is to carve a form which will attract other ducks. "The decoys are there to lure the ducks to you. They fly by and see the decoys and they're curious...you rig them all on a line and anchor them to the bottom...the formation looks natural because eiders fall into strings when they feed...eiders fly low so sometimes the decoys end up getting shot." Keith notes that eider ducks have patches of luminous green on their neck, however "on the old birds you don't put the green...that's the color of the bird but the paint was not around to use that color on the decoys - it wasn't practical, wasn't functional." Keith learned much about the process of carving decoys from hunters he met in his early years. They instructed him, sometimes none too gently, in the strict rules of hunting as well as functional carving. He was taught how to use waterproof glues and oil-based paints rather than acrylics, about types of wood and where to find them, and about the questionable benefits of finishing and sanding. "I have a friend named Paul Sheridan, he knew some of the famous Connecticut decoy makers...he still carved right up until recently, fashioned old decoys as a functional tool...they look rough but they work. Another one was Ted Mulligan who owned a decoy factory in Old Saybrook that burned down in the '50s."

Keith describes the history of Connecticut decoy carving: "The original Connecticut decoys were patterned after a man who moved to New Jersey, Albert Lang, who started to adapt his own style - this is back in the late 1800s. He fashioned them a little bit different to be functional in this area. The next person would be Ben Holmes and he continued that style but added a little more flair to it...Then came Shang Wheeler, probably the most remembered decoy carver in Connecticut...He did all species of ducks, did them in different positions...Back in the '20s and '30s when he was carving heavy, he was considered a pioneer, he was different from everyone else. He kept them traditional and functional, but artistically eye appealing...he would never sell them, he would give them away...There's many years between us but I'm trying to pick up where he left off, just by researching his work and looking at all his carvings and talking to people who knew him. I like to continue the line, so that's where I fit in."

The first step is to decide what species of duck to carve, and whether it should be Maine, Massachusetts, or Connecticut style. Keith then selects his wood, usually white pine, white cedar, or occasionally bass, depending on the look of the grain. He makes a sketch of the form, cutting it out from a wood block using a band saw. He refines the shape by hand carving, then sands it down and paints it. Keith also creates bird carvings in realistic contemporary styles, based on detailed observation; he has carved a line of tropical birds after a trip to With his long years of experience in both traditional and contemporary carving, Keith is sought after as a teacher and a judge for competitions.

"The way the carving trend is, it's going towards the more realistic type and away from the folk art type of decoy that's the tool of the trade, so to speak...Back then it was just something that was patterned for the area, the conditions of the water, the area that you hunted...it was a functional thing that worked."

"We're a small family, close knit, all Connecticut people as far back as I can remember, all Yankees...I remember just once or twice as a kid going fishing with an uncle down at the shore, and I think that just did it...How do you say why you love the ocean? It's something inside...Something about sitting on the coast, watching the waves crash on the rocks, the solitude of it, studying the sea birds up there, it's just wonderful. It's just a feeling inside that I need to be there at least once or twice a week, so I take my dog down to the shore...I have to be on the water and there's got to be the ocean."

"I'm using the same basic techniques, same types of wood, same basic patterns, same styles for the area...I keep some of the mood or tradition inside me, so I'm portraying that with every decoy I do...Each decoy I carve probably has two hundred years of history behind it..."

"The way things are going, some species of duck like the greater scaup - they used to come into Connecticut 150,000 strong, but now they're down to almost endangered. It's the effect of the chemicals in the water making them sterile. Also the food they eat was a form of surf clam in Long Island Sound, but it's disappearing. Alternate types of food like the zebra mussel require more metabolism to digest properly, so they're not making it through the winter...This state used to be a number one wintering spot, now you hardly see them because there's nothing for them here."

The way I see it, there are three types of decoys that most decoy carvers make for themselves and their hunting rigs: the classic style of decoy, the modern style of decoy, and the carvers in the middle who like both. It has been my experience dealing with hundreds of decoy carvers, that most prefer the modern/contemporary style of decoy.....the ones that imitate the look and presence of the real bird. And to add to that.....these carvers prefer to paint their decoys with acrylics.

Me, if I had to pick one style to make....it would be hands down the classic decoy styles of New England makers such as Wheeler, Wilson, Crowell, and so many others! I much prefer the "artistic" and "sculpted" style of decoy based on the original makers interpretation and artistic skills to create these masterpiece works of art! And of course....painting the decoys I make with the same touch used by the masters’ hands with oil paints! I like so many others also enjoy making the modern realistic decoys.....but I design, carve and paint them with the same techniques from the masters hands!! For me, it keeps their memory and their decoy carving heritage and tradition alive! (2022)”