J.J. West

“J.J. West” actually stands for the names of a father and son team, Joseph (1910- ) and James (1937- ). Joseph was the supervisor of planning and scheduling for Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. He was fourteen when he carved his first decoy from a fallen sugar pine (Leavens 15). Since that first decoy, he has carved for himself and others. When James turned sixteen he started to paint his father’s decoys (Leavens 15). Over the years, father and son experimented with minor changes and achieved an excellent product. Together, they created their own patterns based on color photographs in books and magazines when they could not work with birds in their natural environments. The seven hundred and some decoys the Wests carved represent almost every species common to the Atlantic Flyway. Joseph and James West created remarkable birds that were both utilitarian and decorative.