Beebe, Robert C. ‘Bob’ – Seymour, Tennessee

[gallery_bank type=”images” format=”masonry” title=”false” desc=”false” responsive=”true” display=”all” sort_by=”random” animation_effect=”” album_title=”false” album_id=”38″] Robert Beebe, born in Lima, Peru in 1944, now resides in Seymour, Tennessee and started carving replica decoys in 1982. He uses spruce, white pine, copper, brass, lead, glass eyes, and acrylic paint.  He cuts his fish first with a band saw, then a draw knife and completes it with “whittlin” Jack knife. He then has a rubbed worn antiquing method that provides a nice warm look on his fish decoy replicas of many bygone days.
He has been featured in Country Living Magazine (Sept. 1985) and the Museum of American Folk Art.  Bob traveled extensively, studying and acquiring some of the finest and most unusual fish decoys, signs and plaques available.  A Beebe decoy is an accurate replica of the fish decoy using materials and methods of the old carvers. His uncanny knack for antiquing his decoys – from the crackled and weathered paint, to the oxidized brass and copper dorsal and anal fins and the hand rubbed glass eyes- has led to his work becoming sought after by collectors nationwide. Each of his decoys are initial and dated.

Bob uses helpers and cutters to meet his order requirements- a couple of early carver helpers were Gary Ashton and Jack Phillips.

Robert Beebe
632 Old Wagon Rd
Seymour, TN 37865
615-573-8199

(Picture Circa 1986)

Picture & Info courtesy Gary Miller
michifish@charter.net