Fuzzy Brood

"Fuzzy Brood"

6x12 acrylic on canvas

Email me if interested in this painting

As I start getting ready for my show in October (Art in the Park, Paramus NJ - Oct. 15), I am beginning to pull together various bird paintings for the event. I decided to focus on the birds, since I've been painting so many of them of late. This one is no exception - this little group of fuzzy baby ducks is from a reference photo supplied by Russ Bridges.

We often see broods of baby ducks at the lake in the spring/summer. They are adorable. And I always worry whether they will make it to adulthood. Baby ducks are such easy prey for large fish & birds.

The ducklings stop by our dock some evenings - in fact, the whole family visits. And we throw some bread that they all dive for. Too cute. But I half to laugh - we have a floating tire that's tied to a large rock (it acts like a warning buoy). It has been there a long time - long before we owned the place. One year I tried to grow some flowers in a pot within the tire. But the ducks took to it as their own place. Squashed the poor flowers and dug themselves in. The next year, the plants starting growing within the tire on their own! And now, every year, they grow & flourish in the tire. People refer to it as my Chia Pet (for those who are unfamiliar with that term, you can read about them here).  Not only does it grow with abundance, the ducks are still using it as their own patio/backyard. Any given time I can wander down to the lake & there, in the middle of the tire surrounded by plants & flowers, is at least 1 duck. Maybe that's why I see these little ducklings so often!