Dale Callaway

In 1949, I started life in Cambridge and Marblehead, Massachusetts. Drawing and making cars and houses out of paper led to pine model boats to moor in the large soapstone sink down cellar. My father had a machine shop and was a patient teacher, unless he found me drilling into bricks with his sharp bits! (making moorings for my boats)

I spent 18 summers with my family aboard the Albacore, a nice 1929 Herreshoff ketch, sailing mostly along the Maine Coast. We had plenty of art supplies along, and there were plenty of foggy days. In grade school I carved various dolls for which I sewed clothes. Breyer horses arrived and I made a barn, including pails, pitch forks, brushes, and leather saddles and bridles. I began sewing and knitting in earnest. I painted horses on my room walls. I loved having aquariums, guinea pigs, flying squirrels, and a lizard who lived in a begonia which covered my bedroom window. My Mother would take in any fallen nestling, so we had some entertaining pets, including a talkative Starling and a Mallard duck my sister raised from an egg. I spent many late nights developing film and making prints in my Mother’s darkroom. Now I spend late nights working on digital images.

I went to the Museum School in Boston and happily left to marry and open a Silversmithing shop. In addition to jewelry I made tiny sterling furniture and cast little horses. I would visit Skipper Herreshoff in his castle and listen to his ideas on how to make things. I modified a Bultaco motorcycle, rode it for 5 years and sold it when expecting my first of 2 children. I loved sharing my life and shop with my kids. Our family traveled frequently. I learned to fly a Gazelle helicopter. It was the best “ride” we ever had, and we essentially ‘cruised’ in it, as I had done aboard the Albacore. We flew all over the country.

I started carving decoys with my neighbor, Mark McNair, in East Lyme, CT. I loved the old decoys being hollow and self-righting and have tried to honor seaworthiness in my birds.

I worked at Callaway Cars, making molds for fiberglass parts, modified a Kawasaki after hours, and have logged 12K miles on it since. Last year I restored an old Airstream, which a friend and I towed out West and back. I enjoyed rising early to drive our truck loaded with tools and gear to many race tracks with my son and his Motocross bike.

I kept a series of horses and ponies for my daughter and myself; we even raised and trained a foal. We cleared land and planted extensive gardens and rebuilt stone walls.

In spite of all those occupations, I have always returned to carving. I love the remote places birds live and hope my work reminds people of the value of wilderness lands. Now I spend most of my time in my large workshop with beautiful old tools, including an 1890’s shipyard band saw, and look forward to more interesting projects.