I was born and raised on the banks of the mighty Snake River in Southern Idaho. Most of my life spent in, on, or under the water. My mother used to check to see if I had grown gills.
When I did get out of the water and go to school, I learned that I had an ability to draw and sculpt. It has been my dream for as long as I can remember to be able to be a professional artist.
I studied sculpture at Rick`s College in Rexburg Idaho. I did not start woodcarving until fourteen years later. In 1992 I carved my first fish from a two by four, with a hammer and chisel. I was very surprised when a friend wanted to buy it. It was hideous!
Well, this has led to a full time career. My work is represented throughout the world in The Anglers Catalog, in art shows, galleries and personal commissioned pieces. There is a waiting list for these of up to a year.
I do all the work myself, the designing, carving, and painting of each piece. The wood that I use for the fish is Bass wood, it is a little harder than Pine with almost no grain. The rocks are carved from particle board.
For the birds, I use Tupelo Gum wood, another lightweight hardwood, which holds detail very well. I paint with acrylics. For each hour spent carving, there is about three hours of research involved. So it can take anywhere from two weeks for a trout, or up to a year for a full size bird of prey to be completed.
Each one is custom designed for the collector, using live, or not so live models for reference.
Lona Hymas-Smith
MOST RECENT INTERNATIONAL AND WORLD COMPETITIONS
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NWCA Phoenix AZ. Best of Show 1997, 1999
IWCA Sacramento CA. Pacific Flyaway: Best Salt Water Fish. First Place, Third Best in Show Decorative Wildfowl. 1999.
IWCA San Diego CA. California Open: Decorative Life-size wildfowl, First Place and Third Best in Show 2000.
Ocean City Md. Ward World Fish Carving Competition: 2nd in World in Salt Water Fish, 3rd in World in Trout and Salmon. 2000.
Ocean City Md. Ward World Championship Wildfowl Competition: 2nd in open Songbirds. 2000.
World Fish Carving Competition. Springfield Illinois. Best of Division, 1st place, 2nd place. Trout and Salmon.
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