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tfdsc Wigeons
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The Federal Duck Stamp Collection, "Wigeons," by artist William C. Morris. Sixth issue in the series.
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$35.00
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| The Federal Duck Stamp Collection, "Wigeons," by artist William C. Morris. Sixth issue in the series.
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The Federal Duck Stamp Collection, "Wigeons," by artist William C. Morris. Sixth issue in the series. W. S. George, 1990. Plate size approx 8.5 inches. Suggested retail $50.00.
"Wigeons"—William C. Morris's Fiftieth Anniversary Winner
It was my first time entering the Federal Duck Stamp competition. The same year, I won the Alabama State waterfowl competition. I think I'm the only one, at the time, that had won both their own state and the Federal Duck Stamp competition the same year. I might still be the only one.
Ironically. I was home sick with the flu when they called to tell me I had won. The news certainly picked me up, and life has dramatically changed since that day. It's funny how things work out. I'm from Alabama, where wildlife art is not as big as it is in the midwest. So I wasn't sure how well I'd do.
As the 50th Anniversary issue, the Federal Duck Stamp created from my illustration was the largest edition ever done. It's also the only stamp in the history of the Treasury Department to be highlighted with gold metallic ink. It's quite an honor.
There were numemus ceremonies and receptions in Washington the following year when the stamp was released, including the Rose Garden ceremony with Ronald Reagan. It was a pretty exciting moment. He shook my hand and later I received a signed copy of the official anniversary proclamation.
I selected the wigeon as my subject because it's well known. common throughout the major north american flyways. It's also a very colorful bird, and I thought that would give my work greater impact.
I portrayed the birds on water because I think it adds a feeling of tranquility. And the wigeon is such a handsome duck—the green pocket around the male's eye and the articulation from its neck to its back—it seemed that I could capture it better in a closeup portrait.
Artists must keep in mind that when you are up against 1,582 other artists (as I was in the Federal Duck Stamp competition), talent can only take you so far. The top twenty-five paintings that year (and saw them all) were all so good. Another set of judges might have picked twenty-five different paintings. That day, those judges chose those twenty-five and they chose mine as the best.
The American Wigeon-
Bold in Markings and Behavior
The American Wigeon (Mareca americana), often called Baldpate for the male's pale gray-white crown markings, is a bold inhabitant of North American streams and ponds. This aggressive puddle duck will often wait for such diving species as pintails and canvasbacks to bring succulent roots and bulbs of favorite food plants like wild celery, then rush in to snatch the spoils from the bills of its more industrious pondmates. The combative behavior of the male is mostly bluff, however, for few actual fights have been observed.
As bold in appearance as in behavior, the male wigeon is distinguished by a metallic green eye-patch, intricately patterned mottling on breast and wings, and conspicuous white belly. The modest female chiefly differs from other mid-sized (18 to 22-in.) ducks in her white belly. A close inspection reveals an unusually small bill in both sexes.
The wigeon breeds primarily in northwestern North America, from Alaska to Oregon and east to Hudson Bay and northern Indiana, laying 7 to 12 eggs in a hollow nest lined with grass and down. It remains in its northern breeding grounds as long as food and open water remain plentiful. migrating southeast to winter from Chesapeake Bay to as far south as Panama. The distinctive call of the wigeon continues to echo its wild music over the waters of much of North and Central America.
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