When artist Richard Clifton began planning the featured piece of art for Waterfowl Festival 2022, he wanted to capture not only the beauty of waterfowl, but wanted his creation to appeal to art collectors, waterfowl enthusiasts, hunters, and conservationists alike. He settled on Pintails as his subject and created “November Morning-Pintails.”

 

“Everybody loves Pintails,” declared Clifton. “They have a classic look and broad appeal. People get excited when they see a group of Pintails.”

 

Clifton lives on 115 acres where he has created extensive habitat to attract waterfowl and wildlife.

 

He’s also a farmer, hunter, photographer, and waterfowl enthusiast. He comes from a farming family and keeps around 75 acres of his land under till. He says there’s something therapeutic about planting in the ground and working his fields. He’d do more farming if he wasn’t so busy with his art.

 

His love for the land and wildlife is evident in his paintings. He takes his own reference photos and then puts them together to create compositions that use light, patterns, and flow to bring viewers in. He says he’s probably sitting on several thousands of photos he’s taken on his land.

 

About the Painting

 

For Waterfowl Festival 2022, Clifton created a painting that is understated and elegant.

 

“November Morning-Pintails” evokes calm. Soft background light sets apart the ducks – three drakes and two hens. The contrasting patterns on the ducks give variety, while the colors serve to tie them together in a warm, serene composition.

 

The painting is 24”x36” unframed, and 32”x44” framed. The framed original is being offered for $12,000.

 

Posters will also be available closer to the date of the Festival.

 

“I’m so honored that the waterfowl festival has ask me to be their featured artist, and so grateful of the people that I’ve met in the last few years, both that work with the festival and -I’m gonna call them friends- the people that have come out and supported me and my artwork,” said Clifton. “It’s big shoes to fill, but I’m hoping together we can kick off the next 50 years with the same enthusiasm and anticipation that was there all those years ago when this great vision began.

 

About the Featured Artist Program

 

Waterfowl Festival’s Featured Artist Program was created in 2010 to generate excitement about a chosen artist and their visual interpretation of the bounty of our natural habitat. It encourages visitors to meet the artist and see the featured piece “up close.”

 

The Featured Artwork is the inspiration for the year’s marketing theme and keeps the visual identity of the Festival fresh and current. The painter or sculptor chosen each year showcases the variety and high-quality art that the Festival is known for to a new and returning audience.

 

For a hi rez version of the painting, click here.

 

For a photo of artist Richard Clifton, click here.