CenterPointe Fish Carvings

Bob VanHoff of Southern Indiana is a retired Biologist turned a hobbyist with a passion for carving fish, birds, and awards out of wood. While visiting Bailey's Discount in North Judson, Indiana, Bob came across an 8-foot CenterPointe Hevea Butcher Block top that sparked an idea of making two slender fish out of one top. He liked the Hevea top due to its light color and wanted to paint/stain each piece of block a different color for effect and still end up with a recognizable fish. "Since I usually make fish and birds for experts, my intent is to make them accurate and realistic," says Bob.

Using the 8-foot  CenterPointe Hevea countertop, Bob created a 95-inch Esox Masquinongy (Musky) and a 85-inch Longnose Gar. To get the colors just right, he uses watered down acrylic paints so he can blend and control the color. The Hevea top is then finished with a water-based polyurethane, "The water-based finished has the least effect on the colors I apply," noted Bob.

Bob has a history of making several large fish either for sale or for two visitor centers (Caesar Creek Lake in Ohio and Bonneville Visitor Center in Washington). He has also made awards for Partners in Flight and helped numerous others for special recognition.

Bob plans to sell the Musky and Longnose Gar, but has not started looking for buyers.

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^{*Photos provided by Bob VanHoff}