Untamed Land

Untamed Land
Untamed Land

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Greenwings, 11x14"

Last Summer I photographed this sleeping hen Greater Scaup with a diminutive, hen Green-winged Teal, dozing beside it. They were at Spenard Crossing, here in Anchorage.
A year or two earlier I saw this drake, Green-winged Teal in Chester Creek, a few hundred feet above Spenard Crossing. A mischievious Magpie knocked it off the log moments after I shot this photo. Earlier I was photographing the Magpie as it walked all around me, and when I turned my attention to the duck, it apparently got jealous. Magpies are way smart.
I knew I wanted to incorporate the first two Greenwings into a painting, but I liked this Greenwing's head more than the other drake.
This is the composition that I came up with. It looks totally different than the image I had in my mind. I think I like the water more than the rest of the painting. This painting makes me want to paint more variations on a similar marsh habitat theme
A detail photo of the ducks.

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