Wild Arts Wood Duck

The Wild Arts Festival, a fundraiser for the Audubon Society of Portland, has become one of my favorite events of the year. As in previous years, I submitted a painting for the festival's 6 x 6 project.


This year, I took inspiration from the Wood Duck hens I see paddling the irrigation ditches, such as the one above, each summer at Killin Wetlands.



I cut a Wood Duck silhouette out of cedar with my new scroll saw, then painted it to resemble a hen. I made a space for her in the 6 x 6 inch canvas donated by Art Media. I removed the cloth that was stretched over a nice wood frame, which I sanded and stained. Finally, I gave her a gold-painted plate with her genus and species names.



My hen was displayed with 199 other birds. On Saturday morning, we watched as a line of eager shoppers formed for the 11:00 start of the sale. I'm happy to report that someone quickly stepped forward to give her a new home.