Like his brothers Havilah and Amaram, Phineas Reeves was a painter and worked several years inscribing patterns on buggies and carriages. He later moved on to a small factory in Port Rowan to paint furniture. After working as a painter, Reeves became the first manager and punter of the prestigious Long Point Co. which catered to Boston and New York sportsmen. In this way, he established an association with the company that was carried on by his brothers, sons and grandsons.
Reeves designed his own patterns for the hollow decoys he carved from cedar or cork and fit with basswood heads. He extended the tails of his birds and gave them a backward curving neck. His style is both versatile and experimental. Some of his early decoys are hollowed just a bit and fitted with an open doughnut shaped bottom board. This unique feature created a vacuum to support realistic floating. Through carving and painting, Reeves dabbled in different methods of delineating the wlngs. Experimentation never marred any of the sophisticated canvasback, goose, pintail or teal decoys Reeves produced. Each lure reflects high standards requiring patience and skill. Phineas Reeves taught his sons how to carve and through his work, influenced other area carvers.