Egrets are herons that happen to be white, though not always!  Nor are all white herons called egrets!
To confuse matters further, not all egrets have the white aigrettes, the fancy feathers on their backs
when in breeding plumage.  Below are a few of the herons Matt has carved.  Some are more detailed
than others, some have specially made legs while some are on posts, and some are large (up to 4 feet
high in the great blue heron), others less than life-size.  You have many options to choose from!

The poses shown here are popular, but may not be what you particularly want; in fact you can help design your own bird.

Prices currently run from $250.00 to $3,000 (for a museum quality, full-size great blue heron with
carved legs).  Shipping will be added to the cost.  Many people opt to pick up the larger pieces
themselves or make other arrangements.  The museum quality, full-size great blue heron cannot be shipped safely (even by mailboxes, etc.) so must be picked up by the client.
 

The Great Egret (formerly known as the American Egret and Common Egret) is almost as large as the Great Blue Heron (below).  It's much easier to  paint  than  the  latter, hence is less expensive.  A carving of the quality shown in the photo to to the left  is $1,250, about half of  what a superb Great Blue Heron costs.  Below are two carvings (a Great Egret and an African Black Heron) with posts instead  of legs, for $900 each.  Examine the photos to understand the difference in price.  You have the option of  how you  would  like  the legs  positioned.  Most clients prefer  them as shown in the photos, but both legs can be on the driftwood - or any other reasonable position.  Discuss what you'd  like with Matt to get just what you want.  Compare this photo with that of a different Great Egret carving, near  the top of the HOME PAGE.

          "I have several (herons) ... but this is one of the best ones I have ever seen."
 

The Great Blue Heron (left) is about as intricate and difficult as  Matt cares to get.  $3,000 may seem like a lot of money, but  not if you compare his interpretation and price with those of  other carvers. And not a lot if you consider the weeks (stretched out over months) of very painstaking work required to create such a  fine museum quality sculpture.  You will find that many fine flat work paintings of herons are priced much higher than Matt's equally well-painted three-dimensional works.  Each time Matt does one he wonders why he accepted the commission, believing no other carver or sculptor would do it  for that price.  Try to imagine handling a delicately carved  sculpture like this in order to paint it the many colors you see,  and to blend them together for the soft effect Matt achieves so well (with conventional brushes, not air brushes!).  That's where the time and difficulty lie, hence the price.  The fine feathers on the back and neck are fashioned from home-grown bamboo.

Shown below are two of Matt's Great Blue Herons in the actual homes of the clients (who were nice enough to provide the photos).

Like paintings, carvings can be placed just about anywhere in a room to create many different effects,
as these photos below show. For this reason Matt gets a variety of suggestions with regard to species (for shape, color and size), position (looking right, left of straight ahead or  behind, necks extended or not, legs up or down, leaning forward or upright, etc.)
 

The heron carving to the left can be seen in the above photo, in the corner of the room, behind the sofa.

             "I've looked around since I saw a carving of your great blue heron. Many
                         cost much more,  but none come close to yours in quality."
 
 

Matt working on a miniature heron (circa 1990) Miniatures, such as the Great Blue Heron  Matt is working on in the photo above, are also done upon request.  A finely carved miniature can be quite expensive, though  price varies with detail.      The Great White Heron in the photo to the right shows what Matt can do with necks (it's made from  one piece of wood).  Matt is not quite sure how he  achieved that, but is ready to try again!     The Snowy Egret is a small heron.  The one shown above is a photo sent to Matt by a client.  This is the simplest of the heron carving styles and sells for $250.00.  Notice that it has an antiqued finish,  another option Matt offers.                  The Black-Crowned Night Heron,  right, is a husky, short-necked species.  The carving shown is more detailed than the previous three and costs $600 (with a post).  Carved legs, fashioned to realistically grasp the driftwood it's sitting on would add $250. The lack of fine feathering (except for a few on the head which lie over the "cape"), the lack of a long twisting neck, and the simpler painting, are the main reasons for the price differences between this carving  and the Great Blue Heron (above).

The Little Blue Heron carvings above  are not especially detailed, therefore are not very expensive at $275.  If fitted with legs of wood, the price would be much higher.  Relief carving would also add to the price.  You can have as much or as little detail as you like; the price would be adjusted accordingly.  Be sure to see the abstract Little Blue Heron carving, at the bottom of this page.   Ordering is done one on one,  so that Matt and the client can communicate fully about exactly what is wanted. Reach Matt at: E-mail Phone:757-665-4698   Address:  Matt Cormons                        26201 Dennis Rd.                           Parksley, VA 23421

The two Great Blue Herons shown here  were a special request by a couple who wanted full-size herons carved in relief to attach to a  large wall in their living room.  These are done  in select white pine (no knots) and toned by the careful application of a flame, carefully sanded, then polyurethaned and waxed to bring out both the contrasting and the more subtle shades of  the herons' plumage.  The photo below shows  the right-facing heron in full view; the photo to the right shows a closer view.

In both herons the wood grain was  carefully oriented to accentuate the feather  patterns on the wings, tail and body, requiring  each major piece to be made separately.   Each piece was then strategically positioned  to give the maximum depth in what is a very  limited range in a flat carving.  The sections  are joined with dowels.  The feathers on the  head and the fine breast feathers (poorly  shown in the photo were carefully fashioned  from flexible bamboo (grown on Matt's farm).  As the clients said when they saw the  actual carvings after seeing these photos, the  pictures don't do them justice.  These photos  were taken in brilliant sunshine against an old  shed, the only available background Matt had  that was large enough to hang them.  Imagine  them, instead, on your wall in subdued light  and without the harsh shadows and contrasts  created by the bright sun.  For these very original, finely composed and artistically executed heron a single carving would be $950, a pair $1750.

To the left (full view) and below (a     closer view) is the second of the pair,     in which the heron is looking to the left.

One client asked for a Little Blue Heron in a style that was a bit more abstract.  The head feathers
are an example of artistic license.  Mounted on a metal stand this carving will add a touch of elegance in the right home.  The photos below show the same carving from different aspects.  A carving of this quality and originality is $450.