Robert Bateman Hand Signed Limited Edition Print 15″ x 22.125″
Edition Size: 950
“Wood ducks are wonderful. I like everything about them and expect that everyone would agree with me. The male must be the prettiest of all North American ducks, especially if your taste tends to be glamorous. Many shades of green and purple iridescence vie with each other as he turns into different angles of light. Brilliant vermilion of eye and beak are like cherries on top of the burgundy breast. I could go on about the sky blue of the primaries and the finely etched vermiculation on the flanks, but I would rather turn my attention to the female. Her plumage is the softest shadings of brown, beige and grey with subtle flashes of iridescence in certain lights. Her expression is mild and doe-like. It would not be surprising that she is more to my particular taste than is the male. My admiration does not stop at their appearance. I love the kind of place where they live. I have a soft spot in my heart for swamps with the lushness, the still water, the reflections, the complex light and the abundance of wildlife. Some of my happiest hours have been spent in and around swamps, watching and listening. Perhaps if I am very lucky I will hear a prothonotary warbler. But It is always a thrill to hear the shrill, questioning call of a wood duck as a pair (virtually always a pair) takes off and swiftly, almost miraculously, dashes between the trees and disappears. The glimpse is worth it.”
Robert Bateman
(On the Pond – Wood Ducks – Original Painting – 2001, 16″ x 24″ Oil on Board)
