Throughout his life, Hare has had an extraordinary ability to not only see intricate detail in wildlife, but also to capture that detail through three dimensional depictions. Gordon, born in Canada, was introduced to the world of bird carving by his uncle as a young boy and as early as age five Hare was drawing and painting birds of his own. Hare took up carving in his teens and experimented with many different styles and eventually his work became so realistic that casual observers could mistake his work for live birds. Carvings produced by Hare have been winning awards from early on in his career, including “Best in Show” at the Ward World Championships in 1985 and 1987.
After having so much success as a carver, Hare’s pieces became highly sought after, turning carving into a business instead of something to do for pleasure. Hare began experimenting with clay sculpture, which he found to be less time consuming and allowed for more creative freedom. Hare’s move away from carving in favor of sculpture did not reduce his celebrity within the carving world as he has been, and still is today, honored at different museums and events. Today, Hare uses molds to reproduce exact replicas of his sculptures and is often commissioned to create pieces specifically for museums and collectors.