John ‘Dave. Epp. Sculptor. Wood carver. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Active mid 20th century.
David Epp was a bird carver. The biography isn’t complete yet but he carved birds almost exclusively. He made striking carvings of every kind of bird that could be seen on the Prairie provinces. Water fowl and song birds; well mounted on ‘as found’ forest wood, often pieces of burl, and with metal legs. His carvings were beautifully painted and coloured by his wife and partner. Dave Epp always signed his carvings on the base; in Script and occasionally with the date.
Dave Epp’s carvings were sold widely and are rare. They are in public and private collections around North America. Some examples are shown below.
There are images of Dave Epp (holding a carved Bird) and his wife, the colorist, in the Mennonite Archives of Ontario. I am including a link to the page here:
http://archives.mhsc.ca/wood-carving-manitoba-winnipeg?onlyDirect=1
A Snowy Owl by Dave Epp:
Dave Epp. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Carving of a Snowy Owl. 1950’s.
A pair of carved Mallards:
Dave Epp. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Pair of carved Mallards on a stand. 1950’s.
Dave Epp. A pair of Turkeys. 1960’s:
David Epp Wood carving. 1960’s.
