Whether it was the eagle who responded to his whistle, the osprey who swooped up his fish or the wrens and finches that gathered around his home doesn’t seem to matter.
The result is octogenarian of Brick,a talented artist, creative in both design and style, in recent years is now also a home manufacturer of both birdhouses and bird feeders that are selling like, well, nest eggs!
A salesman by profession when he was younger, Gordon and his first wife lived in the Lake Hopatcong area. When his wife grew very ill, Gordon was at her side, tending to all her needs and always remaining within hearing should she need him to be bedside.
So he spent quiet hours sitting outdoors enjoying the serenity and respite at the family’s lakefront home. That’s when Gordon first noticed an eagle ‘eying him,’ every day. It got to the point where Gordon could whistle, and the eagle would suddenly appear.
Then there was the time Gordon was fishing on the lake, caught one and was tossing it back in when an osprey swooped down and grabbed it in mid-air.
Couple those experiences with the myriads of finches of all colors that always seemed to be around, and Gordon was hooked on birds.
Artistry had always been his hobby since high school, and through the years he became proficient at it, with crowds gathering first to craft shows where they eagerly purchased his creations of historic hold homes, pastoral or country settings, and “anything natural. I took photos with my camera and did my art to be natural.” Although he start with watercolors, artists and professors suggested acrylics would be a better medium to enhance the fine work he does.
So he switched and found art lovers liked his natural settings, the snow owls he saw and painted in Alaska, the historic homes he visited on Cape Cod, the flowers , clouds and blue skies he painted everywhere. He accepted the challenge of painting people’s houses for framing in their living rooms, and even took up painting unique scenes on antique hand saws, once he had cleaned them, sanded down the handles, and stained them beautiful enough to display the natural pictures he painted on the blades.
So when a customer asked if he could make a birdhouse and paint it, it was an easy next step.
But perfectionist that he is, Gordon wanted his bird houses and art work to last and be able to withstand weather. So each one is made of a sturdy wood…redwood or cedar seem to be his favorite; they’re crafted into birdhouses of three different sizes to ensure comfort for different size birds, given two coats of marine varnish, before he painted his finch, or cardinal or sparrow as added decor and signed every piece of art.
So it was an easy next step when someone asked if he could make a bird feeder. Not feeling the affection for squirrels he feels for birds, Gordon was quick to agree, then designed a ‘squirrel proof feeder, made it, added a chain for hanging, double marine varnished it and now sells them as well. The bird houses he creates are either with or without a painting on the front, and the entry holes and the houses themselves vary in size to ensure easy access and protection for the size bid owners want to attract.
When Gordon’s next request came for a lighthouse,, the every talented artists came up with that as well, and now builds three foot tall lighthouses in a variety of colors and designs, including solar powered lights to they can light up front lawns or back patios nighttime.
Gordon’s website is custombirdhousesbygordy.com; he’s open to displaying at art shows and craft gatherings, and takes individual orders with guarantees of customer approval!.
