Feathery Carvings Amazing to Behold

by Alvin Benn

John Sheffey’s silent owls, eagles, ducks, hawks and cardinals look so real you just want to reach out and stroke their feathers.

Sheffey sees that kind of reaction all the time and just smiles. He knows, in a way, the urge to touch is a reward for the countless hours he puts in to create his realistic-looking feathery works of art.

"The man is absolutely amazing," said Black Belt Treasures Director Sulynn Creswell. "There’s no other way to describe him. His attention to detail is phenomenal."

What makes it even more amazing is the fact Sheffey - a 70-year-old Tennessee native and retired Army colonel who saw his share of combat in Vietnam - taught himself to do what he does so well.

The training he received came from his eyes as he examined books and blueprints. The birds helped too, circling overhead or coming to rest on tree branches at his 230-acre spread in south Dallas County.