About Mike Oliver
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Mike was born and raised in East Tennessee and attended The University of Tennessee, majoring in commercial art. He has worked for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for more than 30 years as a graphic artist and most recently as an interior space planner and ergonomic specialist. He lives in Knoxville with his wife, on Melton Hill Lake with a studio workshop that overlooks the water. The resident ducks, geese and other birds are a constant inspiration for his carvings. "When not working or carving in my shop, I spend as much time as I can on the water fishing, looking for driftwood for bases, and watching birds and other wildlife."
Mike has been carving for more than 30 years and his work graces the homes of collectors all over the world including Germany, Japan, Spain and most recently one of his carvings was given to the Mayor of Bethlehem in the Holy Land. He and his carvings have been featured on HGTV's "Country At Home" program as well as on several local television programs. Several businesses have also commissioned him for client and employee gifts and to decorate their lobbies and offices. In addition to teaching woodcarving classes at local and regional craft schools, Mike is also past-president of both the Smokey Mountain Woodcarvers and the Foothills Craft Guild.
The wood Mike prefers is northern basswood, also know as linden wood. "I like carving with hand tools as much as possible and basswood is excellent for hand carving. It is a soft wood but has enough strength to hold fine details." Mike burns in the feather details with a fine wood-burning pen. When all the details are carved and burned he paints the carvings with thin layers of acrylic paints to simulate the shading of the feathers. "Acrylic paints have just the right amount of sheen to produce a realistic finish for feathers." The birds are then mounted on a driftwood base and arranged in a life-like setting. "I want my carvings to tell a story, to show the bird reacting to something in its environment, not just sitting stiffly on a hunk of wood like a stuffed bird."
Most of his work is commissioned by the client for a particular bird. "Occasionally I find time to carve just for me. These are usually my best pieces and I have a very hard time parting with them if someone wants to buy them at a show. I have a few pieces I would not part with for any price."