Ted Lightfoot presented his newly crafted bald eagle sculpture in Aldergrove on Saturday, March 16.
For some months now, Lightfoot and other local advocates have been meeting with First Nations groups to save wetland areas and salmon habitat. At each meeting, Lightfoot took notice of a bald eagle perched on a Willow tree above the meeting table in the backyard.
“That inspired me to build an eagle… they are a keystone species,” Lightfoot said.
He began with a piece of Juniper wood, carving out the body of the bird, and then cutting the pieces for the wings.
Juniper is a slow growing tree, Lightfoot explained. The growth rings are about 80 years per inch.
“So, this piece of wood [for the eagle] is well over two or three hundred years old,” the Glen Valley resident said.
Once he’d made the main pieces, Lightfoot added furs and fabric to give the eagle’s feathers its appropriate colours.
The white fur of its head was made with fabric he found at Fabricland. He also used faux fur from a child’s coat he found at Value Village.
To finish the feathers on top of the wings, he used a river otter pelt donated to him.
“Somebody found one hit by a car and gave me the pelt… I thought this was good use for it.”
The tip of the eagle’s beak is made of copper, so it’s sturdy and not at risk of breaking, as well as the tips – which Lightfoot designed to slip on.
“Copper allowed me to get the right shape, it’s more flexible,” he said.
For its eyes, Lightfoot used the decorative piece from cuff links that once belonged to a family member to make the eagle’s eyes pop.
“I’m sure it’s gold, and it works perfectly,” he commented.
Lastly, to make the feet he used a combination of wire, sawdust, and an elastomeric caulking compound to allow him to shape them and ensure they were flexible. The talons are made from hand forged nails, which are hammered into a wooden fish Lightfoot also carved.
Lightfoot recalled the most challenging part of sculpting the bald eagle was ensuring certain parts were straight, and that it had form and function.
He estimated the sculpture took about a month to complete.
During his presentation at the Aldergrove library, Lightfoot shared several facts about the bald eagle, including that they mate for life, they are talented divers, and their white head and tails don’t create shadows above water.
“The reason they’re white is that they can be in the sunlight and take a fish out [of the water] without being seen,” he said.
Lightfoot also said bald eagles have six times sharper the eyesight of a human, which is where the term “eagle eye” comes from.
His presentation was part of the month-long culture event series put on by the Langley Arts Council. Next, a Latin dance performance by the Grupoamerica team takes place on Saturday, March 23, from 11 a.m. to noon at the Aldergrove library.
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