Soaring to new heights

The hummingbird that sits on Rhonda Longwith's fireplace is so realistic that its eyes seem to follow you wherever you stand in the living room.

"Everybody comments on it when they walk in the house," said Longwith, who buys Burbank artist Fred Hamer's work.

Hamer works in his garage carving realistic-looking birds out of wood using both power and hand tools. He also creates miniature habitats and plants that accompany the carved birds.

"Fifty percent of people who see my work wonder if they're stuffed birds," Hamer said.

Hamer starts off his projects by researching his subject. Over the years, he has created a small library of bird information, sketches and pictures. He sometimes uses museum specimens that are for research purposes to get details about the birds. However, he also goes to sites, such as zoos, and takes photographs and sketches the live birds.

"Wild animals that are alive are one of the hardest things to sketch, [but] results are often very worth the time and effort," he said.

For Longwith, the most amazing part of Hamer's creations is the fact that he studies the birds from different angles and is able to capture the personality of the bird in the wood.

"He becomes so familiar with his bird, or whatever he's working on, that he knows all its characteristics," said Longwith. "When he's working on the piece, he's able to capture not only what it looks like, but the way it feels. He captures it all in his work, it's amazing."

After he's studied the animal carefully, Hamer carves and paints the birds and all their minute details.

Hamer was introduced to this skill when he was 10. His father carved his own decoys for duck hunting and taught his sons to do so as well. As a child, Hamer made miniature carvings after school and on holidays and would give them to family and friends.

As he got older, Hamer continued carving birds on and off. He pursued a degree in biology from Stockton State College in New Jersey. He held many jobs, but in the end, Hamer came back to carving birds.

"I really enjoy the creation," Hamer said. "The creation is just gorgeous to me."

Hamer's love for birds was instilled when he was a toddler.

"My mother says that when I was first able to walk, I ran after some birds on the street," said Hamer.