Some birds headed to Westlake

I haven't posted in some time, mostly becuase I've been working on competition birds, and I don't like posting them while I am competeing them. The good news is that I'm doing ok in the competitions. I won second best in show for gunning birds with my low head mallard at the Core Sound contest in December. In February I headed down to San Diego for the PSWA show. I ended up placing in the best of marsh, but my standard head mallard didn't make it any further. Then it sold so that bird is done competing. 

I'm headed to Westlake, OH tomorrow for the ODCCA show. I've got some birds to compete in the pool and the IWCA tank, but here are few birds I'm bringing just to display and sell. One of these is going into the Firday night swim and sell, sponsored by the decoycarvingforum.com, and other will be displayed in Dwane Ong and Tom Matus' room 123. Stop by and check them out if you are at the show.

 

3rd Best of Division at the 2011 Columbia Flyway show

My mallard won the third best of division for the IWCA working decoy contest at the 2011 Columbia Flyway Show on September 10th, 2011. This is a picture taken during the judging of the "best of puddle ducks" portion of the competition. That pintail in the background is also one of mine. It won a blue ribbon as best in pintails.

Head portraits

Here are some close-up head portraits of the three birds. I love how the oil paint blends when it is wet. 

Some decoys in oil paint

I've spent some time this summer practicing with oil paints. Here are a few I completed recently.

Mallard:

Barrow's Goldeneye

Wigeon

Barrow's Goldeneye

Here's a Barrow's goldeneye I finished recently. I  haven't done many diver ducks in recent years and I had fun doing this one.

Contemporary Style Mallard Drake

Here's a mallard I carved from tupelo and painted with acrlic paint.