Royce W. Embanks, Jr.
Born in Kalispell, Montana, Royce moved with his family to Oregon at age 4, settling in Bandon. Fascinated by animals at an early age, he spent hours sculpting animals and people in clay during those long rainy days on the Oregon Coast. In school, he began exploring with pencil drawing, cartoons, painting designs for cars, and painting with oils at age 16.
Early in the 1980’s Royce attended a meeting of Western Woodcarvers in Portland, seeing his first, hand-carved and painted decorative decoys. Craig Strand, a local Portland carver, encouraged his work through the Feather and Quill Wood Carving Club.
Royce first entered competition in the “Wild Birds in Wood” show in 1983 in Portland. His carvings have been exhibited at galleries in Flagstaff, AZ, Seaside, Crown Point, Prineville, and currently in Bandon and Madras, Oregon.
In 1989 he completed a full-sized Bald Eagle for Linfield College, Portland Campus.
The bird and fish have been judged for the past 11 years at the Columbia Flyway show, Vancouver, WA where he placed 1st and 2nd at the open level. He has shown at the Madras College of Culture, in Burns for the Migratory Bird Festival Art Show, Multnomah Falls Art Show, Sandy Pioneer Days, the Brant Festival Art, Parkville B.C. winning First Place, Coastal Carver’s Show in Lincoln City (taking Mayor’s Choice), and in Sacramento at the Western Flyway Show.
A steelhead won 1st place in 2002 at Jefferson County Fair. He enjoys carving demonstrations at the Redmond Art Walk and at Deschutes County Fair for the past several years.
Royce and two friends (Sharon Miller and Marilyn O’Hearn) have established a small studio in Madras where they meet, carve, display their art work and encourage other artists in the Madras area to explore various mediums for their art. Recently, Royce and Sharon co-founded the new High Desert Carvers club.
About Royce's Carvings
Each artist has his/her own individual “style”. Royce chooses a naturalistic carving and habitat for each of his works. He enjoys carving species familiar to him and the areas where he has lived -- the Oregon coast, the Willamette valley, Arizona, and Central Oregon.
The wood used is mostly basswood (primarily from the Mississippi river valley). It is lightweight and has little grain, making it a carver’s choice for detailed sculptures. His process goes from carving to sanding to wood-burning and then to painting. Birds are hand-painted with acrylics, and fish are air-brushed first, then hand-painted with water-based paint.
The habitats are carved out of wood as well. Occasionally he uses metal for grass or a leaf or stem. But the branches and rocks are each carved from a block of wood, and then painted.
Carving Classes
Royce and two friends operate a small art studio in Madras -- 6th Street Artists’ Studio. Classes are offered there on a regular basis. This fall, one class worked on a Chickadee and the latest class finished a Downy Woodpecker. The class typically meets for four or five sessions, one time a week for about three hours. Royce provides the “rough cut-out”. Students bring their own tools, or borrow some. This is a small town, and it’s all very casual. Inquiries about upcoming events may be made by phoning 541-325-1586.