The Painted Drake (Open Edition)

The Story

The Wood Duck is the one the ornithologists pull out when someone argues that American birds lack the colors of tropical species. The drake's head alone — iridescent green and purple with white striping, the red eye ringed in red — is the work of evolutionary extravagance. Smith found this male threading through a pond covered in lily pads, backlit in warm morning light that catches the chestnut breast, the white flank markings, the green-and-purple head. The lily pads are not a backdrop. They are partners in the composition, their yellow edges and waterlogged surfaces giving the bird a stage as specific to the place as any setting can be.

The Location

Wood Ducks are year-round residents of the Chesapeake watershed and among the great conservation success stories of North American waterfowl management. Market hunting and habitat loss brought them near extinction by 1900; federal protection, nest box programs, and the preservation of riparian woodland has brought them back to abundance. They nest in tree cavities along forested wetlands throughout the watershed, and their raucous, rising call — oo-eek, oo-eek — is one of the sounds that signals spring arrival in the Bay country. A Wood Duck in lily pads in morning light is pure Chesapeake.

Artist's Perspective

"The wood duck is a bird I've chased for years. You have to get close and you have to have the light. This morning both worked out. The lily pads were everywhere and he just moved through them like he owned the place, which he did." — Andre Smith

Curator's Recommendation

A jewel-toned horizontal composition that brings together color, texture, and place in a single frame. The rich palette — warm greens, purples, chestnut — creates immediate visual impact. Perfect for spaces that benefit from color and life. Pairs naturally with the mallard and grebe subjects for a complete freshwater waterfowl collection.

Print Quality

Archival-Quality Canvas, Made in the USA.

Every Chesapeake Focus print is produced on archival-grade poly-cotton canvas using UL GREENGUARD GOLD certified inks — water resistant, fade resistant, and anti-yellowing. Each canvas is hand-stretched over FSC-certified, kiln-dried stretcher bars that are knot-free and warp-free. Finished with your choice of hardwood floater frame in matte black, white, brown, or natural. Ready to hang right out of the box.