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About Overboard Art | About the Artist - Don Briddell | The Ward Brothers

The Grand “Ole” Masters – Lem and Steve Ward

Wildfowl carving art began with the decoy – an invention of the Native American. At the beginning of the 20 th century, the watermen of the Atlantic coast became intrigued by the artistic possibilities of the form. The duck decoys they produced, with a beautiful mix of abstraction and realism, are highly valuable artifacts toda

y. Whereas people once threw their decoys overboard, they now dive back overboard to reclaim them as treasures.

Leading the field were Lem and Steve Ward, the grand “ole” decoy masters of Crisfield, Maryland. The Ward Brothers are generally credited with having the most profound influence on decoy and decorative wildfowl woodcarving, taking a rudimentary craft and making it a true art. Trained by their father to be barbers and decoy carvers, they began their career in 1918 when Steve got back from World War I. Outside the barber shop they “officially” hung up a sign “Waterfowl Counterfeiters in Wood” painted on a single. From humble beginnings, the Ward Brothers become two of the most famous Marylanders, appearing in the National Geographic Magazine in 1950 and 1964. President Ronald Regan on behalf of the Smithsonian Institution gave them the National Hertiage Award in 1983, for their contribution to American culture; one of twelve people that year. Today any museum having decoys considers having Ward Brother decoys as essential. Working decoys they produced in 1920’s for $1.50 each have fetched as much as $95,000 at auction in recent years.

Don Briddell and the Ward Brothers

Don Briddell was a student of the Ward Brothers, starting at age 13. As a kid, Don remembers the Ward barbershop/studio as an exotic mixture of fragrances; combining Jergin’s hair oil, turpentine, cedar wood and oil paints. Every corner and shelf was filled with decoys in various stages of completion. If a customer wasn’t in the barber chair then the brothers would be seated carving the dozen or so decoys they were capable of making per day. Their workshop was always a meeting spot for the locals and visitors to hang out and talk. They were poets fascinated by language, although they never went beyond the 4th grade. Steve’s poetry has been collected into a book entitled, “Closed for Business”.

Don Briddell’s close friendship with the Ward Brothers led to a special request in 1984, from the surviving brother Lem, who asked Don to work with the Ward Brothers’ legacy for the benefit of the family and posterity. He entrusted his collection of cardboard patterns, saved through the years, and the copyrights to the Ward Brothers artistic estate to Don. This material today forms the basis of The Ward Brothers’ Legacy project managed by Overboard Art. Overboard Art is the only authorized company to offer Ward Brothers’ Legacy. We are working with original Ward Brothers’ material and developing products that will best preserve and express their unique artistic legacy.

ReWard Decoys ®

An edition limited to one hundred pairs of classic decoy reproductions made from the actual working patterns used by the Wards. ReWard Decoys® are carved in wood and hand painted by artists trained by Don Briddell. The first collection of six pairs includes species of ducks and years that represent the classic periods of their 60 some years of carving and painting waterfowl.

Please contact Overboard Art for information about the ReWard Decoy line.

Original Working pattern drawings used by the Wards

These are the conceptual essence, the formulas by which the Wards remembered, preserved and perfected their art. They were actually used. Organized into matching sets wherever possible or as individual pieces, they are numbered, authenticated, mounted elegantly with a caligraphered explanation triple mounted, and shrink-wrapped ready to frame. These patterns have been treated with a perservative recommended and used by the Smithsonian Institution.

Contact Overboard Art at 1.888.622.2788 for details about purchasing Ward Brothers Original Pattern drawings.