Internationally recognized, Minnesota artist John Strutt III has spent the last 25 years gathering top honors and first place awards in America's most prestigious sculpture competitions.

John's raptors and songbirds are carved with hair-fine detail, perched and ready to soar. The fact is, John's subjects are so well researched, so life-like - they nearly take flight.

One sure sign of spring is the singing of the birds. After a long winter, so many look to these sounds as a sign of the new life to come.

John gets joy from creating each carving and believes that if God gives you a talent, you should use it. Having had no formal training John developed his skills over time. Currently, John lives in Mahtomedi with his wife Peggy. His in-home studio looks out over a small pond, and many bird feeders that entice about 20 varieties of birds, where he gets inspriation. "God gives you all of this beauty in nature free," says John, who finds it hard to be away from carving.

As spring makes its way to summer, the birds will continue to sing, and John Strutt will be in his glory - creating art out of God's handiwork.