- So today we're using European starlings,
highly invasive.
(♪♪)
We can fix all of that
if you make a hole in the skin,
but that's part of taxidermy.
I am a taxidermist and natural history artist,
and I own and operate E. Putnam Studio.
The goal of taxidermy is
everything we're taking out or replacing.
(♪♪)
Ultimately taxidermy.
It's not just about skinning
and putting it back together, but
that understanding of how that
anatomy kind of works.
(♪♪)
You don't press anything else.
I am the only taxidermist in Seattle
that's offering these classes.
I was encouraged to open up these classes
as another opportunity to share this art form
with people that otherwise, it's really difficult to learn.
Anyone that has an art background has a step up.
(♪♪)
We're going to make an incision.
When you're skinning a bird,
you have this personal connection,
and you are able to see the function of these little animals.
Then I'm going to use the scissor.
It's not for everyone.
All the people that do this like really love animals.
- Yeah.
I just wanted to try something new, something different.
I love animals, and I feel like this is a way to combine
my passion for animals with kind of like an artsy, creative side.
- This is where I'm trying to get it to go.
And they really are just like
very curious individuals and want to keep learning.
(♪♪)
Students love to learn
what the inside of birds look like.
(♪♪)
I'm going to start down the bottom,
and then I'll just hold the wire tight
as I'm wrapping it all the way up.
(♪♪)
We don't want to just to meet.
We actually want overlap.
You maybe don't need to learn how to do a deer head or duck,
but you want to learn how to do this little bird.
Wonder if that's why they're such good little survivors.
When I first
started, I didn't realize that taxidermy was an art form.
- So now I can just. Snip through that.
I get to have a greater appreciation of animals.
I get to work on specimens
we never going to see in the wild.
That's where we're cutting.
Students that take the class with me,
most are women.
That seems to be the trend.
(♪♪)
- I think for a long time I kind of had
in my mind that it was like a male dominated field.
- You're doing really good.
- I think it's easier now for people to see other women
and think, oh, I could try this too.
Maybe they don't feel comfortable sharing this hobby.
They have a welcoming environment here.
We're going to remove this all.
-I’m just happy to find that there are
female taxidermist ones who teach classes.
So that's been really nice
(♪♪)
- Going in
and then towards the towards the body.
And I'm doing this type of feel.
I think just wrap it. Okay.
What I'm trying to do right now
is see which end to pull through here.
Because this is the most important part of these wings.
Okay. That looks good.
So I'm just trying to keep it straight.
And then there's that little ear hole.
And we can tuck that in.
(♪♪)
We've removed the carcass.
We've removed all the meat in the fat.
So now the skin is all cleaned and is ready
to start on the mounting process.
(♪♪)
So I'll show you how to fold the wings down.
- This is like the most exciting thing.
It makes it less slide, leg mystifies it, demystifies it in a way.
So it's more of an art form now than it is a trophy.
- It's a really cool art, and I think that, like anybody that does
it wants other people to understand,
like how how important it can be
for education and connecting,
especially children to animals.
I think that's really important.
- It might seem like kind of scary at first, but.
It's like pretty fun.
And cool to like, learn more about them and stuff.
This is so fun. This is like the best part.
You're going to take a class with other people
who you have this overlap of interest?
And that is such a rare thing to be able to find in person.
And then also good to have this,
this shared experiences with people that I wouldn't meet otherwise.
- It's really pretty.
- So there's not many
opportunities that you get to be so hands on and like one on one.
That's what makes this opportunity so special.
- I'm going to go under this very thin skin.
It's a little bit more secure.
- Really nice having a small class
because I feel like you get very much hands on instruction.
They will go back and do the finished work.
- I mean, I'd say it's exceeded my expectations.
I didn't know exactly what to expect.
But yeah, I'm really happy.
(♪♪)