Pat Godin: Bird’s Eye
September 12 — November 8, 2026
Opening reception: Sunday, October 4, 2:00 — 4:00pm
Pat Godin, Bufflehead Pair, 2008, acrylic on tupelo wood. Image courtesy of Nellie Williams
Exhibition Description:
This exhibition features the waterfowl carvings of local artist Pat Godin alongside selections from Glenhyrst Art Gallery’s collection and represents the artist’s first exhibition at a public art gallery or museum. One of the world’s leading and most decorated waterfowl carvers, Godin’s work demonstrates his extraordinary skill, attention to detail, and ongoing commitment to waterfowl conservation. Combining design elements, wood carving, and painting, Godin’s carvings are near-exact replications of avian species, such as wood ducks, red-breasted mergansers, and Canada geese. Their presence next to 19th-century landscape and avian paintings by notable artists, including Robert Reginald Whale and John Hicks Whale, allows the exhibition to consider how waterfowl have been represented in the region of Southwestern Ontario over a period of nearly one hundred and fifty years. The exhibition also provides an opportunity to recognize one of Canada’s most accomplished artists while further bending the boundaries between fine art and contemporary craft.
About the Artist:
Born in Brantford, Ontario, in 1953, Pat Godin is a 14-time world champion in waterfowl carving. Godin developed a passion for flora and fauna while growing up near the banks of the Grand River. At the age of sixteen, he apprenticed at a local tool and die shop, where he learned aspects of precision machinery, skills that would carry into his carving work. After completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology at the University of Guelph, Godin studied the distribution of Mallard duck populations for his Master of Science degree. In 1973, he entered his first duck decoy competition in the Canadian National Decoy Contest. Three years later, he won his first World Championship title in the Decorative Decoy category. Godin is the author of Championship Waterfowl Patterns, four instructional books for bird carvers, and is the subject of two books on his career: Pat Godin: Waterfowl Carving (2023) and Pat Godin: Wildfowl Sculpture (2025). He is also the recipient of the Jimmie Vizier Memorial Award, was entered into the Waterfowl Festival Hall of Fame in 1994, and received a star on Brantford’s Walk of Fame in 2001.
Exhibition Brochure
(click to download)
Installation Images
(click to access)