An Outsider Aviary
Robert W. Smeltzer Sr., a Pennsylvania native, led a multifaceted life. He served in the U.S. Navy, worked as an electrical engineer and fulfilled the duties of husband and father. Later in life, he embarked on a new journey, embracing the role of a devoted avian sculptor.
In 1966, Smeltzer began his artistic hobby after discovering John James Audubon's renowned work, "Birds of America." Armed with Audubon's famous bird illustrations, Smeltzer spent over two decades creating 242 bird carvings, along with a handful of snakes. Each sculpture reproduced the colors and markings of their real-life counterparts. Smeltzer crafted each piece using an array of woods, including mahogany, cypress, cedar and redwood. Notably, he never purchased any wood for his creations - the materials were either gifted to him by friends or sourced through scavenging.
These creatures, rendered in an endearingly crude and expressive style, signal Smeltzer's status as an outsider artist.
His unorthodox approach, unburdened by formal training, yielded art that is both imaginative and deeply personal. In his own words, "I take scraps and leftovers and make birds out of them." This resourcefulness and ingenuity underscore the essence of Smeltzer's art. His unshackled creativity, coupled with his lack of a formal art education, impart a slightly primitive appearance to his carvings. As Smeltzer once expressed, "The birds are not meant to be pretty but instructive."
In 1993, as his failing eyesight ended his artistic endeavors, Smeltzer gifted his complete collection of carved birds to the Appleton Museum of Art. Alongside these sculptures, he added the tools that shaped them and his well-worn copy of "Birds of America," marked with handwritten margin notes that attest to the depth of his study.
An Outsider Aviary
Robert W. Smeltzer Sr., a Pennsylvania native, led a multifaceted life. He served in the U.S. Navy, worked as an electrical engineer and fulfilled the duties of husband and father. Later in life, he embarked on a new journey, embracing the role of a devoted avian sculptor.
In 1966, Smeltzer began his artistic hobby after discovering John James Audubon's renowned work, "Birds of America." Armed with Audubon's famous bird illustrations, Smeltzer spent over two decades creating 242 bird carvings, along with a handful of snakes. Each sculpture reproduced the colors and markings of their real-life counterparts. Smeltzer crafted each piece using an array of woods, including mahogany, cypress, cedar and redwood. Notably, he never purchased any wood for his creations - the materials were either gifted to him by friends or sourced through scavenging.
These creatures, rendered in an endearingly crude and expressive style, signal Smeltzer's status as an outsider artist.
His unorthodox approach, unburdened by formal training, yielded art that is both imaginative and deeply personal. In his own words, "I take scraps and leftovers and make birds out of them." This resourcefulness and ingenuity underscore the essence of Smeltzer's art. His unshackled creativity, coupled with his lack of a formal art education, impart a slightly primitive appearance to his carvings. As Smeltzer once expressed, "The birds are not meant to be pretty but instructive."
In 1993, as his failing eyesight ended his artistic endeavors, Smeltzer gifted his complete collection of carved birds to the Appleton Museum of Art. Alongside these sculptures, he added the tools that shaped them and his well-worn copy of "Birds of America," marked with handwritten margin notes that attest to the depth of his study.