April 2024 3-D Featured Artist Ken Yacavone

Ken Yacavone became interested in carving waterfowl in the late 1980s after noticing duck decoys in the Outer Banks. “I was inspired by antique ducks and shorebird decoys,” said Ken. “I draw my own patterns, and most of my creations are carved by hand with little use of power tools. My carvings are mostly White Pine and painted in artist oils which ages nicely.”

After years of cleaning up beaches he visited, Ken saw an opportunity to combine his artistic abilities with his concerns about the environment. He soon began incorporating plastic pollution recovered from the ocean in his carvings. One of his duck beach pollution statement pieces is housed at Ding Darling National Refuge to use in programs to educate the public about plastics in the environment. 

He has been showing his carvings in galleries since 2017 and has won numerous awards for his work.