Dave Moreno is from Fort Wayne, Indiana and was born in 1938 and Bridget was born in 1941. This is a husband & wife team and they got started collecting vintage decoys years ago and that interest let Dave to carving and Bridget to painting Dave’s carvings. Dave said “It became a wonderful hobby and is now an enduring passion. We are now collecting, carving and now selling.” Dave carves and Bridget paints the fish to resemble as much as possible the full anatomical features of the fish. Dave wrote that “Their decoys are belly weighted and individually swim tested for proper balance for the best swim.” He carves them primarily from basswood with fins made from aluminum, copper and wood. The eyes are fish glass taxidermy eyes. Dave’s wife Bridget hand paints each decoy and she has been painting traditional art for the past twenty-five years.
Dave & Bridget belong to the Great Lakes Fish Decoy Association and recently entered the 2007 contest. Dave told me that “We were excited to receive two third place awards for a Blue Gill and a Yellowstone Cutthroat plus an Honorable Mention for our Yellow Perch entries.“
I have added a picture of Bridget’s painting of a winter scene to show her talent is quite nice and folky.
Contact Dave at: bdmoreno@comcast.net
Dave & Bridget
6511 Post Road
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46814
Photos Courtesy of Dave Moreno bdmoreno@comcast.net