Handmade Wooden Creations

Papa Eugene's craft sits somewhere between art and quiet devotion. He preserves treasured catches through traditional fish taxidermy and hand-carves wooden replicas painted to lifelike perfection — a lasting alternative for anglers who want to keep the memory without keeping the fish.

Every piece begins with careful observation and respect for the natural form. A carved replica can be built from nothing more than photographs and a couple of measurements, so the first stage is mostly looking: how the body tapers, where the fins sit, how the light would have caught it in the water.

Then the wood. Rough shaping, then finer and finer work until the form is right, then the long slow part — each scale, fin and marking rendered by hand. Painting is its own stage entirely, built up in layers until the colour has depth rather than sitting flat on the surface.

He works with time-honoured techniques passed down through generations, combined with modern materials and finishes so the pieces last. Skin mounts of trophy catches follow a different process but the same principle: the fish should look like it did on the day, not like a decoration.

The workshop smells of sawdust and varnish and there is always one piece drying somewhere it shouldn't be. Nothing here is fast. When people ask how long a commission takes, the honest answer is that it takes as long as it takes.

You can follow his work on Instagram at @taxidermy_fishcarving, or see more at ievgenskliarfishcarving.lovable.app.