Most of the people have enjoyed actually in America for quite some time going back to 1933 when our first federal duck stamp was issued. It was a conservation program that could help generate money to help maintain and keep the habitat all across North America into USA strong and we need be even purchase new land for ideal habitat preservation for the future generations. It’s not quite 100 years (91 years),but it’s getting there and has that program been a tremendous success you ask? For sure. Yes an affirmative big yes. It has gotten together countless, and or millions of Americans in the pursuit and conservation of our great country for our very magnificent wildlife our waterfowl the ducks. The creators of the federal duck stamp program were brilliant at that time, realizing that the Art community for generations had been utilizing their skill set to paint beautiful wildlife of all kinds four legged wing you name it and so they thought why not let’s see what happens.

Now starting for me in 1990 beginning my artistic journey with the paintbrush it wasn’t until I had relocated from Hudson, Wisconsin to Webster, Wisconsin and Marge and I began our second career Marge with her photography Jimmy with his photography and oil, painting of wildlife and portrait oil painting. We started that journey in 2006 and I was happy to start in my new studio in the year 2007. I met Jack White and tremendous oil painter in America and his wife.Mikki they were kind beyond words teaching and helping me to master and to learn more about oil, painting mediums. I purchased every book a Jack had written on the subject of oil painting, and in later when he could no longer paint when his eyes shifted and would not allow him to paint but he could write novels. I bought all his novels and to my knowledge they are still available on their website. I haven’t been there for quite some time, but those of you are just out there that need a good novel to read or maybe some of you artist Jack had tremendous skill and knowledge and he shared openly in his writing publications. And along the way of our friendship and his mentorship with me as I got into the year 2009 that was the first year I decided I really after painting hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of ducks wanted to throw my hat in the ring actually a very big ring. I didn’t realize at the time the federal duck stamp program. Right in my neck of the woods here in Webster and one of our local establishments and Siren Wisconsin, David Mass had tremendous oil paintings for sale originals and if you recall, David 12 of the federal duck stop competitions in his painting career a remarkable accomplishment. He used to come up during the summer months to Siren and put on a workshop however I missed out on that opportunity in about the time I realize or had learned about it the business that he worked through had gone out of business and so that program that he had during the summer disappeared. Bummer. I can tell you I went to see Jock and his jewelry and art store and looked at David’s work and marveled at his oil painting marvelous. Just before Jock sold his business he was wanting to have me bring my original oil painting of wildlife and also display right alongside David’s work. We never got to take a look at how that worked or get that fire as things dramatically changed for his family and he had to make an adjustment and sell the business. Bummer again. And while I was painting heavily in oil paints, if you recall any of my history and story before also I had a strong background in watercolor painting, and I maintained it all throughout my ears even right now and that year in 2009 I purchased a panel from Ampersand called ” Aquabord” for watercolors and they sold the exact size I needed 9″ x 12″ x 1/8 of an inch thick and I bought about eight panels at Dick Blick in January 2009 when they first introduced that panel to the industry. My two primary watercolors at that time were Winsor & Newton Professional watercolors made in Great Britain, and Maimierblu watercolor made in Italy, (20 years experience).That spring ( May), in Rice Lake National wildlife Refuge in McGregor, Minnesota. beautiful, I was able to get beautiful images of Blue Winged Teal Drake. I did not place or win that particular competition that year, but it gave me experience with painting for a national competition amongst the Giants.The Aquabord, by Ampersand I later continued developing in using and by so adding my surface chemistry even to this day and I will explain have a really super terrific finished surface to pain on. As most of you that have been aware of what I do I never paint directly on any manufacturers material canvas wood hardboard right on down the line not a thing not even watercolor paper. I never use a thing on its own merit because it cannot do basically until I add my chemistry what I wanted to do.

Over the years maybe the next year 2010 besides the federal duck stamp I added the Wisconsin waterfall duck stamp and later in 2018 I added the Oregon duck stamp and in the year 2023. I also tried to enter that Louisiana duck stamp, and even though my work got there and met all the requirements and the timelines it did not get into the competition? A huge mystery. And this year in 2025. I did not compete in the Oregon duck stamp, but I did in my state of Wisconsin and now I’m preparing work for the 2025 Ohio duck stamp this is my home state where I grew up in Toledo Ohio. This year their competition, I will paint the ring.Necked Ducks a pair both Drake and hen and in this current development. All of my background is being put to the test. As a chemical engineer and working in the pulp and paper industry for a long time, I understand the characteristics of paper and those particular fiber characteristics for watercolorist are unique and even for oil painters I will explain. The pigments that are utilized in both mediums, watercolors and oil paints are identical. The only difference is the particle size distribution. And the medium is used in watercolor you use gum, Arabic, medium, and an oil paints you use linseed oil or walnut oil or safflower oil and so the mechanisms are different but over the years I’ve been able to combine the strengths of both the watercolor with a smaller 2 to 9 µm particle size distribution with the larger oil paint particle size distribution of 23 to 38 µm in some cases. It goes to size 84 µm and also to 100 µm if natural pigments or Earth Pigments are used. That’s not all bad because the differential between the small and the large particle size and the difference in the reflective index gives a tremendous light scattering as a light penetrates through the transparent layers and back to your eye. This is how great luminosity in depth in the oil painting can be developed. So where does paper come into the picture. With my surface chemistry being made of a lot of particles. The beauty of a substrate of paper is that the paper has a dimension and a depth to it if you’re using other substrates, that is not the case. In my case, I laminate the paper directly to my Baltic Birchwood, and then from there with the proper preparation of the surface of the paper can begin my oil painting. I utilize all transparent colors, so therefore, all the different layers in glaciers the light can transmit 100% through and go to the base in this case would be Baltic birch and then reflect in tremendous light Kettering back to your eye, this creates magnificent luminosity.

Just a few days ago, I posted a painting of a green winged teal on 9x12x1/8-Aquabord, all in watercolors. I had some difficulty with this substrate with my chemistry this year, but my formulation using different materials contractive slightly different from my past history with my earlier surface preparation chemistry. It was not a showstopper, but enough to make me pause, but I went ahead anyways and ordered for the 2025 Ohio duck stamp a larger piece 23″ x 18″ x 1/8 of an inch thick and I have that surface now completely prepared with my Formula-I-II-&III. It’s not a perfect surface as I had hoped for, but overall not bad that’s like being close in horseshoes. It doesn’t count when a ringer comes in and in this case that particular panel I had to set aside any slight anomaly later is gonna dictate and change the magnitude of the beauty of my oil painting. I know this through a lot of experience and tears.My better surface. Is made using a panel of Baltic birch 1/4 of an inch thick. I can’t go thicker than that to meet the competition rules and regulations. This particular surface is tremendous with everything I apply in all my surface chemistry and unless I make a mistake and being dyslexic, I can do that generally, the panel is absolutely as smooth as a piece of glass when I’m done, and then this type of competition that’s important surface roughness is a no no, and will detect greatly from the light absorption and penetration will cause light scattering at the surface which will diminish the light transmission and therefore lower luminosity in depth.

So I’m gonna share a work of art this morning that is the back bone and basis for what I’ll be doing in the next few weeks on the 2025 Ohio duck stamp. This particular painting today this morning is called.”Dance To Music” is a trio 3 sandhill cranes at sunrise in Crex Meadows. In Greensburg, Wisconsin USA. This particular painting had a very unique beginning and it is painted on a piece of 9″ x 12″ x 3/8 of an inch deep Baltic Birchwood that has been sealed and laminated with paper. The paper has been specially treated with my surface chemistry and from there until it’s completion I used four different painting mediums before sealing the final layer with my retouch varnish usually about two or three layers, let dry, and then there after shipped to the duck stamp competition. In the case of the sandhills that was not shipped I’m only making reference to what I’ll be doing with the duck stamp in relationship to what I had done earlier with this painting. Based on the amount of research that I do continuously over 30+ years, I haven’t really in many cases of stayed with one routine like 99% of the artist today no so to be able to get a snapshot about for example how would this particular application be viewed by the public in this case it goes back to 2019 and then therefore I can collect data with the public on my website and by this time now I have a solid view. There is no quick journey for marketing analysis. When you’re on leading edge technology you cannot advance the knowledge to people. It takes a slow amount of time for them to catch up. But I can confidently say all indications from many sources are pretty positive in this particular direction. is it a good enough to be you know a painting that could maybe place in the top 10 I don’t know? I have to do the work and just like everybody put my pants on and my shoes the same way and go to work every day. This particular painting has remarkable color and luminosity. You cannot see it on your digital application, computer iPad or iPhone but when you look at it in person, it is tremendous you’ll just have to take my word for it. It already has a happy home so the probability that you can see it in person is pretty nil.

Like most good stories there is a lot of history to be shared and it made my blog post a little longer hopefully you enjoyed.

Called ” Dance To Music “