Whether it's knowing how many tail feathers a male mallard duck has or what the minute details of a button from a Confederate uniform look like, artist Tony Biagi can rattle off each specific with the ease of a seasoned historian.

The public will be given the opportunity to test Biagi's knowledge at a Meet The Artist event at the Lincoln County Public Library from 1 until 4 p.m. on Saturday. He will be on hand to answer questions and talk about the work he has on display.

The professional artist has invested thousands upon thousands of hours to the art he so loves.

What takes him so long is the research and the details that go into each piece. It's this attention to the little things that sets his work apart from the rest.

Even down to the smallest of details like the mortar joints in his architectural pen and ink drawings one can see each unit of brick and the mixture of concrete that binds each one together. Or if nature is more your style, it could be the random curve of a tree branch or the downturn of a thistle of a berry bush.

Biagi has been gifted with this incredible insight on how things are made or how they work. He meticulously choreographs each limb, leaf and flower of every piece of his artwork.

And to think it all started many years ago with a paint-by-number set around 1966, he said.

"The Lord gave me a gift creating art," Biagi explained.

Biagi was given the paint set while he was recuperating from injuries in a military hospital. He was serving in the U.s. Army's 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.

He reasoned it was his reason to be here.

Over the years Biagi has honed his craft and by doing so has gathered a great deal of knowledge on the subjects he draws, paints or sculpts.

"No one sees the prep work," Biagi said or the many hours he spends researching his subjects.

Biagi cites some of his Confederate artwork as examples of why it is important to get the details correct.

"You better know what you're doing," Biagi said.

If you get one facet of a button incorrect or any aspect of a wreath from the collar of a general's uniform out of place, someone will point it out, he said. He has evened learned some interesting stories of the generals and soldiers he's drawn right down to the type of weapons they carried.

"You have to research everything," Biagi said. "Even down to authentic bridle work on the horses."

And the details don't stop there. Many of his drawings contain ghosts, or photos of hidden objects. Biagi adds these types of details to entice the viewer to look even closer.

Biagi has sold his work all over the United States and has worked in many different mediums including pencil, pen and ink, watercolors and oil over the years. He has covered many subjects through his art, which includes wildlifes, portraits and landscapes.

And by working with so many different aspects of art he has acquired an expertise about a variety of subjects

"Everything I do is authentic," he said.

Learning how things are made is in part what makes Biagi's work stand out.

"Take a rose, I pick off a petal to see how it grows. Or if I'm drawing fruit, I'll go buy it," Biagi said. "I've become known through the years for my attention to details and correctness."

Biagi's exhibit will be displayed through the end of November.