Tuesday, June 15, 2010

I See You - Ruddy Ducks in Acrylic

Sitting in a quiet pool amidst the reflections of the overhanging foliage is a resting pair of Ruddy Ducks. The male sports his reddish-orange breeding plumage, while the female is dressed in soft grays and browns to disguise her from predators when she's nesting. Though they appear totally at peace look closely....you are being watched! Your presence has not gone unnoticed!

I saw this pair last week resting in a backwater slough along the river where I walk. They were there for at least three days and let me approach fairly close so I took lots of photographs. I was quite taken with the males beautiful red feathers and also very intrigued by the patterns of the foliage reflections in the water. I decided to try and combine the two into one painting.

Ruddy ducks are one of our smallest ducks weighing in at a little over 1 lb. and are sometimes called "stiff tails". The females are unique in that they lay the largest eggs relative to their body size and one clutch of eggs can outweigh the hen! A clutch can be from 6 to 10 eggs. Yikes!

This painting is a mere 5" x 5" square and is painted in acrylic on a hardboard panel. It is available for purchase through my Etsy store for $55.00. Just click on the link and it's yours!