4 Wooden Bird-House Ornaments handmade by our very own President of the Denver Audubon Board of Directors and Audubon Master Birder, Curt Frankenfeld.

Wooden ornaments like these grace my Christmas tree, but some find their way to displays in my home at all times of year. My designs constantly change and evolve. The common thread is that most of them have a bird house theme. All of these ornaments are turned on a wood lathe by hand.

Some of the designs are inspired by creations of internationally known woodturner Dale Nish. Dale has passed now, but he leaves a legacy of innovation and sometimes a sense of whimsy in his work. The bird-house theme is his, but specific design elements are mine.

I adapted some of Dale's designs to my own methods, purposes, and woods, all the while building in my own sense of fun. I've also designed my own ornaments. I allow shapes and designs from nature to influence my work. I try to use Colorado woods, but I do bring in other woods for color and contrast.

The four Colorado woods in these ornaments are Beetle-kill Lodgepole Pine, Box Elder, Maple, and Black Walnut. The color woods that I used in these ornaments are Padauk and Ebony. Padauk is a fast-growing, relatively common and inexpensive wood from Africa and is sustainably harvested. My Ebony has been passed down from woodworker to woodworker for many years. It originated as scrap wood from a piano factory, probably in the mid-20th century. I treasure my grocery bag of Ebony scraps!

All of the ornaments are hollow to some degree to control weight so they can be easily used on a Christmas tree.

I hope that these ornaments bring you joy and, perhaps, that you will experience that sense of whimsy. Thanks for supporting Denver Audubon!

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