Gary Batte of Stephenville, Texas, specialized in caricature woodcarvings and carved, authored books, taught, exhibited, and sold woodcarvings for over 40 years. He strove to capture a bit of humor in each of his works, and western figures were his favorites.

Gary’s carvings were exhibited in many art galleries and museums, including permanent displays at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Philip Merrill Environmental Center in Annapolis, Maryland. In addition, many of his carvings were held in private collections throughout the United States.

Gary was a 1962 graduate of Texas A&M University and retired as Area Conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in 1994. He then devoted much of his time to carving, teaching, and writing, and also served as a woodcarving show judge.

Gary’s honors included numerous first-place awards in state and national competitions, including first-place awards in the International Woodcarvers Congress competition and Best of Show in the Texas Woodcarvers Guild Competition. His work was featured in Chip Chats, Wood, Art of the West, Woodcarving Illustrated, and Western Horseman magazines, as well as other publications. His caricature carving of former President Bush was published in the political history book American Century by Harold Evans (Knopf Publishing Co., Inc., 1998).

Gary was a founding member of the Caricature Carvers of America and a member of the National Woodcarvers Association and the Texas Woodcarvers Guild.

Gary authored three books: Carving Critters, Cowboys and Other Characters, Carving Crazy Critters, and Carving Caricature Pins and Bolos. He also co-authored The Full Moon Saloon and Carving the Circus.

Gary passed away on January 16, 2022.