This artwork took Wayne Phillips approximately 30 hours to complete with a wood-burning knife, a hammer, a saw and some nails. Wayne Phillips of Colquitt came in the Liberal last week to show us some of his artwork.

Wayne is a man of many talents. There's a saying Phillips stated, "Jack of all trades, and master of none," but that just isn't the case for Wayne Phillips. He is a retired tractor dealer and is now a successful auctioneer. He stays busy with one of his many hobbies, and he is good at them all.

The photo of one of his latest works of art with his wood-burning tools shows a red-tailed hawk catching a diamond-back rattlesnake. He burns the selected plywood board to make his art almost come to life. Phillips only does wood burning of birds of prey such as bald eagles, screech owls and red-tail hawks. He also makes the frames for his art, such as the 132-year-old pine wood that frames his recent art. The frame was taken from a home built in 1878 in Alma.

Another of the many hobbies Wayne displayed was his ability to flint knap. He uses glass, bone, wood and other materials to make beautiful arrow heads, spear heads and jewelry. He is also a collector of Indian artifacts.

In his spare time, Wayne does paintings in acrylic oils. He also is very profi- cient in wood carving.

Wayne stated that he has been carving since he was a very small boy. He said that he would carve his own toys and enjoyed making artwork from a piece of wood.

Being a businessman, Wayne was asked if he would sell his artwork.

“I do most of my art as a hobby. If I sold it, my hourly rate would be quite low, so I keep most of what I do for myself. I have sold some of my work and some of my collections and other carvings, but I do it for my own pleasure. I just enjoy doing something, and some of it comes out pretty good,“ Phillips said.

When he gets caught up with his art works and making a living in the auction business, Phillips grows hybrid blueberry bushes and sells some of the largest, and best tasting blueberries anywhere.

Yes, he is a “Jack of many trades and master of most.”