Another Happy Couple

Giclee Print on Canvas
Edition of 300 S/N
Image: 9″ x 20″
$200

This pair of Bufflehead decoys was made by my friend Pete Peterson, of Cape Charles, Virginia. Pete still makes decoys the way the old timers did, one at a time, hollow construction and hand painted. The Eastern Shore influence is obvious to collectors and students of the decoy, but Pete’s own style has evolved and his decoys are easily recognized in the decoy collecting fraternity and eagerly sought after.

I am fortunate to own five of these sassy little birds, and when I used to hunt ducks they were part of my working rig.  Sometimes we would peek out of the blind and see six or seven Buffleheads, and it would take a minute or two to figure out which ones were Pete’s and which ones were live ducks.  After hunting season ended we would keep them in a basket on the hearth, where they can be found today.

Like many of my favorite subjects, I have painted these ‘Dippers’ (as the Eastern Shore locals call them) several times in various settings, on shelves or in boxes and baskets. All of the paintings were quickly sold. This particular painting depicts a hen and a drake (girl and boy), and as in most relationships, the hen has the drake tied up rather tightly and he is following along. The title, as in so many of my paintings, is just for fun.