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By Alison Wood Daily News WEST BEND — If Jack Pettey had listened to one of his teachers in seventh or eighth grade, he may not have received an international duck carving honor to his name. His first foray into carving was a comb from a bar of Ivory soap. His teacher was less than impressed, saying he shouldn't go into art. Fast-forward to the time he attended a wood duck carving compeition in Oshkosh. After that, he said, "I wanted to become a good duck carver." So why ducks? "That was the essence of the show in Oshkosh," Pettey said. His first attempt at competitive duck carving was about as well-received as his soap comb. He wanted to get an opinion on his work from a man at a competition, and his critique was blunt. "You have no idea what a duck looks like," Pettey was told. While some may have walked away dejected and never attempted carving again, those words galvanized Pettey. "That was encouraging," Pettey said. "I bought a 50-pound bag of corn, went to the Milwaukee River and sketched ducks." Beyond simply sketching alongside the river, Pettey, who attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Marquette University, was in the Marine Corps and was employed as a clinical chemist at the VA Hospital in Wood for 26 years. He also took lessons from duck carving champion Dick LeMaster, as well as other noted artists Randy Thull and Robert Guge. Through those lessons, Pettey's abilities improved and he eventually entered his work in a tri-state competition in Michigan. Pettey's work is classified as interpre- tive wood carving, meaning the subjects are presented in a more creative fashion. One such work is called "Memories of Eagles" — a carving of a golden eagle feather washed up on a beach that highlights Pettey's passion for the environment. He said he imagined the last thing anyone would see of a golden eagle is a lone feather. Pettey eventually entered his work in the World Waterfowl Championship in Salisbury, Md., where his work was up against artists from 13 countries. Pettey's carvings were entered at the entrance level; he took fourth place in 1997, third place in 1998 and was named best in show in 1999 with a carving of a swan. After that Pettey, who said he spends about 200 hours per carving from start to finish, was satisfied and stopped carving. "I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish," Pettey said. "When I won best in the world, I was satisfied." Pettey lives with his wife at Cedar Ridge in West Bend, where he uses his woodworking skills to fix furniture. He recently got the chance to show his work again at the University of Wisconsin- Washington County. Sue Bausch, director of marketing and communications for UW-WC, reached out to Cedar Ridge residents to plan an art exhibit at the college. "Jack was the first to contact me," Bausch said. Bausch was surprised and intrigued to find out someone with Pettey's experience was so close to home. "He's brilliant," Bausch said. "The level of detail (in his work), it's amazing." Pettey and Bausch worked together to figure out how best to display the carvings, many of which are made from butternut, walnut and basswood, in the university's glass cases. Throughout the process, Pettey was "very much a gentleman," Bausch said. Pettey doesn't have any plans to show his work in the immediate future, but he hopes to have the chance to showcase his work again at venues in the area. In the meantime, he continues to work at Cedar Ridge and play classical piano, one of his other passions. Taking his talent to the top 10 • E x p l o r i n g t h e A r t s • N e w s G r a p h i c & D a i l y N e w s • A p r i l 2 0 1 5 Give us a call for a FREE Market Analysis & Ask about Our GREAT Commission Options! www.alliedrealtygroupllc.com Linda Schulteis (262) 305-2060 Bonnie Johnson (262)573-5165 Jan Below (262)224-3691 Mary Kay Klink (262)689-9864 Eric Vogt (262)853-9342 Dawn Eichhorst (414)322-7253 John Fraundorf (262)673-5975 Joe Schulteis (262)224-0092 2932 State Road 83 Hartford 262-670-9880 Submitted Photo Submitted Photo