These birds have flown across the country, perched on mosaic bases, and been decorated with vines and leaves and meticulously painted.
The stylized birds have become a calling card of mixed media artist Patty Carmody Smith.
The idea for the bird sculptures came originally from a 2009 trip to Yellowstone, where Patty was inspired by the ravens in the park and the bird-themed art in nearby Jackson, Wyoming.
“You could tell how smart they were,” says Patty about the ravens. At that time, Patty was mostly working in figurative sculpting and was looking for a change.
“I decided to give it a try,” says Patty.
Patty had become a full-time artist only three years before, despite having worked on projects for far longer.
According to Patty, it took four to five months to come up with the design that is now standard: a mosaic base upon which the bird perches. “The first ones were really bad,” laughs Patty.
In the following 16 years, Patty estimates that she’s sold over 700 and still enjoys making them, even though “I have to pace myself a little bit more” than when she started in 2009.
One of those birds has recently flown into the Arts North International exhibit, which opened January 10th at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
The exhibit features 157 artworks selected from over 1,000 submissions that were sent from across the globe.
While Patty has been submitting art to the exhibition for a number of years, and even had art featured before, it is never a sure thing.
“It’s very competitive,” says Patty.
For Patty, materials have always been a key source of inspiration for her work.
“That love of materials has always informed my art,” says Patty.
Patty began working in fiber art in the 1970s, working with teachers from Eden Prairie High School while she was there, as well as with professors at the University of WI at River Falls.
“I always had to have my hands in something,” says Patty. Since then, Patty has expanded her use of materials to air-drying clay, glass, wood, and more.
Her recent exhibit, also at the Hopkins Center for the Arts, showcased that deep appreciation for art across mediums and materials.
Craftopia: A Fine Craft Invitation opened December 4th, 2025. The exhibit featured 12 artists ranging from jewelers to furniture makers to quilters to rugmakers.
“The name Craftopia came first,” says Patty about the exhibit, which was meant to showcase the artistry in crafts that aren’t always viewed as such from working artists.
The year-long project had Patty finding artists willing to participate in the gallery, ranging from attending woodworkers' guild exhibits and looking for new connections to enlisting the work of her sister, who is a practicing silversmith.
Then, once the exhibit was accepted, the “hard work” began filling out the gallery.
Gallery settings are not ones where viewers often expect to see side tables, quilts, rugs, or even jewelry.
Patty highlighted the work of Richard Helgeson, a furniture maker included in the exhibit, as it was “clear it was art” from the outset.
The varied crafts within the exhibit showed the depth of crafts and how they can be elevated.
These days, due to the popularity of the bird sculptures, especially when featured in catalogues like Artful Home, Patty has to work to prepare a number of them beforehand, which can make for long days.
Despite that, Patty has no intention of stopping: “I’m going to do it as long as I can.”
Because after all this time, despite the change in materials, “I still have to do something with my hands.”
See more of Patty’s work on her website at carmodyart.com