Week 112

In the midst of the onset of shutdowns, a sweet friend and collector asked to make an unforgettable Father’s Day surprise. 

The original image was a composite, one we made by scrubbing video from a duck hunt in the Louisiana marshes and scouring the web for a perfect pintail reference. The elements were sentimental and each important. 

Once in the studio, the music was soft and fluid, and our hearts flowed with the paint on the canvas. Gorgeous, warm colors pillowed the background in a soft sunset, formed with bold blocking and blending. I loved working on this lab’s chocolatey fur. It was easy to get lost with my brushes in the motion and texture that gave way to a summer breeze and caught the evening sunlight. His salted caramel eyes look beyond, deeply loyal and somehow knowing. 

The bird was done last in a crescendo of color and plumage. In our original discussion, I thought our friend and collector said she had the actual bird in her freezer if we wanted to see real pintail.  Although we didn’t, together we settled on the perfect accenting of blues to give form and distinction to this special waterfowl. His body, though lifeless, is bright and soft. It is a trophy in pigment, feathers and one of a kind memories. 

The Hunt

30” x 40” | Oil on Panel

Commission / Private Collection