Dead Duck

I saw this scene while walking through a bird-rich nature reserve. The area is popular with birdwatchers as there are all kinds of species flying around, both native and non-native. I don’t know which species this unfortunate specimen belongs to, but flying is out of the question. No idea what killed it, but it was lying there so beautifully and peacefully that I wanted to immortalise it in a painting. By the way, what immediately caught my eye was the ‘black figure’ in his plumage, do you see it too?

Here you can see how this painting was created in many short strokes: