Acclaimed Wildfowl Artist Randal Martin To Offer All 50 State Bird Sculptures

For Immediate Release:
For more information, contact:
Zan Martin
zan.martin@martincoadvertising.com
615/876-1822

Celebrate your state’s uniqueness with an amazingly one-of-a-kind hand-carved sculpture of your state bird created by nationally-acclaimed fine artist Randal Martin. Nowhere else will you have the chance to have the famed wildfowl sculptor create a similarly unique wooden masterpiece representing your state and its official bird.

The decision to provide this not-to-be-missed opportunity came about after presenting Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam a gorgeous Mockingbird sculpture, the official state bird of Tennessee, this past April. Details of the sculpture revealed the bird meticulously perched on a carved branch of a Tulip Poplar, the state tree, accompanied with the state insect, the ladybug. The unveiling ceremony occurred in the Governor’s Conference Room in the State Capitol.

After examining the wooden sculpture, Governor Haslam expressed his gratitude, saying, “On behalf of all of the citizens of the Volunteer state, I want to thank Randal Martin for this one of a kind sculpture of the state bird of Tennessee. It is a stunning piece of art to add to the Capitol’s collection, and I will proudly display it in my office for all to see!”

The mockingbird carving is currently sitting on top of an end table in the Governor’s conference room. It is one of the most visible pieces in the room where the Governor meets with legislative leadership, foreign diplomats, corporate execs, etc.

Randal’s work has been featured in the White House – as he was commissioned to carve a one-of-a-kind bluebird ornament for the White House Christmas tree for an “All Creatures Great and Small” seasonal theme, where he and his wife, Zan, were invited to Washington by First Lady Laura Bush for a special viewing of the nation’s Christmas tree.

Other commissioned works include an Ivory Billed Woodpecker for the IJAMS Nature Center, in Knoxville, TN and a Red Cockaded Woodpecker for a Florida Nature Center, as well as a Hummingbird carving which was presented to the Vice President of Nippon Telephone & Telegraph Co., the largest corporation in Japan. Moreover, Randal’s work has also been displayed in several national galleries, including the Horizon Fine Art Gallery in Jackson Hole, WY. and the JRB gallery in Oklahoma and the Cliff Dwellers Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Randal expressed interest in crafting all 50 states’ official birds with eagerness, citing, “I typically have four or five carvings going at once, and as they come to life, I can’t wait to do another.” Each sculpture requires between two-to-six months to complete, so commissions are encouraged immediately. He’s won ribbons and awards for every carving he has ever entered in competition throughout the years since he focused on wood as his primary artistic medium.