Al has been studying and enjoying birds his entire life.  While growing up. he spent many hours with his father watching birds at local Audubon facilities and many hawk migration points including Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania, the south shore of Lake Erie in New York, and Hawk Cliff in Ontario, Canada. 

 

Al briefly wandered away from birds to pursue a career in the art of cooking, graduating from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in 1983.  During his stint at the CIA, he managed to return to nature spending a year as a chef for a research team in Antartica.  While working in the food service industry, he began his career in bird sculpture.  Al's first creation, a Bufflehead decoy, won every competition it entered. It was then that his love for the art form exploded.  Subsequent successes enabled him to retire from the Chef world in 2006 to pursue his love of bird sculpture fulltime. 

 

In 2004, after spending many hours working in a raptor banding station, Al dove into the world of Falconry.  He has since attained the acclaimed status of Master Falconer and is recognized as one of the most successful falconers on the east coast.  As a result, Al is viewed as one of the country's leading experts in raptors.  That said, he maintains an interest and ability to capture all orders of birds in his lifelike sculptures.  Hawks, owls, shorebirds, and songbirds have all been subjects of his highly sought after pieces.

 

Al is a gifted teacher and many of his students have gone on to win awards at the local and national level.  He is willing to share all his "secrets" and techniques.  His intimate knowledge of bird anatomy make his classes lessons in both art and nature.

 

He is the author of one of Stackpole's best selling workshop guides, Half-Sized Osprey.  Al regularly writes articles for Wildfowl Carving and Collecting Magazine.  His articles include:  Carving a Screech Owl, Carving a Downey Woodpecker, Painting a Downey Woodpecker, Carving a Saw-whet Owl, and Painting a Saw-whet Owl.

 

Al is an accomplished and highly sought after judge.  He judges at shows all over the country including the Ward World Wildfowl Carving Championships.  His critical eye, knowledge of birds and their anatomy as well as his high level of craftsmanship enable him to thoughtfully critique each piece.  Al judges at all levels ranging from Novice to Professional.