Unfinished Wooden Bird Pin
Object Details
- Description
- This unfinished duck shows one of the earliest stages of Mr. Oka's carving process. Materials were expensive so artists like Mr. Oka would reuse as many materials as they could. For the birds, spare wood from shipping crates was often used. Mr. Oka would start by outlining a bird on a piece of old wood, and then he would carve out the 2D shape. This duck is in the process of being formed into its 3D, hyper-realistic form. He would sand and carve in the curves and details of the bird, and transform the piece of wood into a realistic bird. Mr. Oka then would meticulously paint all the different colors and shades of the birds. He used a set of Audubon bird identification cards and an old National Geographic for reference.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Credit Line
- Gift of Jane Oka
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- ID Number
- 2016.0117.065
- accession number
- 2016.0117
- catalog number
- 2016.0117.065
- Object Name
- pin
- Physical Description
- wood (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 2 in x 2 in x 1/2 in; 5.08 cm x 5.08 cm x 1.27 cm
- place made
- United States: Arizona, Poston
- See more items in
- Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Japanese American
- Executive Order 9066
- Subject
- World War II
- related event
- World War II
- Record ID
- nmah_1812107
