Pollen, blooming petals and the sound of birds chirping are a few of the first things that welcome the coming of spring.
To celebrate the spring season, Carolina Inn is hosting its 13th Annual Birdhouses on Parade event, which hosts a diverse collection of birdhouses created by local artists as indoor decorations.
Rich Andrews, one of the artisans presenting his birdhouse, is the owner of Skidworks N.C., a woodworking shop in Winston-Salem. Andrews said his birdhouse is specifically designed after a large bird.
Andrews, who has been carving wood since he obtained his first pocket knife as a Cub Scout, usually works on hand-crafted signs and sculptures. A woodworker for the majority of his life, this will be Andrew’s first time exhibiting his work at the birdhouse parade in the Carolina Inn.
“They are basically an evolution of my carving,” Andrews said about his decision to make birdhouses.
“I’ve been carving signs and folk art for 20 to 30 years, and I decided that I just needed something to be a little different looking.”
Allen Hobbs, originally a pencil artist, is also a woodworker. Hobbs, who will also be showing his work for the first time at the birdhouse parade, said that he has steadily enjoyed handcrafting, and loved the process of making birdhouses for the parade.
As an artist, Hobbs described the birdhouse parade as a good way to show the talent of local artists, and he takes pride in his work.
“I was pretty much born an artist — pencil artist. I love art of all different forms, and I got to playing around with wood making bird houses, and I’m a perfectionist and I love beauty,” Hobbs said.
“I just get a real joy out of seeing something I did with my own hands,” Hobbs said.
The birdhouse parade is on display until April 21.
arts@dailytarheel.com
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