Duck on the Log

Oil on canvas on panel, 6 x 6 in. --

I'm visiting my husband in Pullman, WA, this week. Today, I went to the Sunnyside Park to do some plein air painting. There were many mallards around the pond there. I spotted a duck on a log that was sticking out from the water near the shore. I also saw some turtles sunbathing next to the duck. I approached them very quietly, and took some photos. They were not afraid of me at all. After a while, I went back there, with my small easel and painting gear, to the shoreline. The same duck and a turtle were still napping and sunbathing peacefully. So I quietly set up my easel in a nice tree shade, and started painting. I started out with a turtle on the left side of the duck. Then I decided to wipe it off because I thought the composition was getting too busy for a small canvas. If I do a larger painting of this scene in my studio, I might add some turtles or ducks. Halfway through my painting the duck and turtle disappeared, and the tree shadow from the other side of the pond eventually swallowed the whole scene. So that was the end of this painting session.