It’s always a treat to see some Green-wings.  We jumped a bunch of 7 or so on a float trip last fall – the emerald green speculums flashing in the low afternoon sunlight will stay with me forever.

I hope this posture combines this little Drake’s grace with some tension.  He is thinking about preening but needs to make sure everything is well with the world first.  And, although I did not drop the wing, I did exaggerate the speculums so their patches of iridescence would balance those on the headdress.  Finally, as with all of my wooden birds, he is hollowed with fairly thin walls – so he tips the scale at about 7 ounces.

Necks twisted so severely open up opportunities for experimenting with the contours and shapes.  Every part of this bird is fun to paint but achieving the multi-layered look of the breast spots is a special challenge.

I carved this decorative pair for my parents in 1990.  To my eye, the form of a sleeping duck is one of the most elegant in nature.

Although she is a so-called Sleeper, she is not ltting her guard down.  The Drake gives me a chance to “fake” some iridescence.

This little gunner is made from Balsa with a White Pine head and a plastic tail insert.