The arrival of the 2019 Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival this January 18-21 gave me good reason to consider doing a pastel of one of my favorite ducks, the Bufflehead. A striking contrast of black and white and seen diving for the aquatic invertebrates, shrimp, crabs, amphipods, isopods, snails and mussels found in the brackish water! Lately, they’ve been bobbing on the waves and sheltering in the lee of the marshes when we have the winter rains blowing through Morro Bay.
I’ve entered three pieces of artwork including this Bufflehead pastel in the “For the Birds” Exhibit at the Morro Bay Art Center. Feel free to come say “Hello” to me at the Reception on Sunday, January 13, 2-4PM.
Until the next sketch… peace, Heather
A wandering illustrator 
Very sweet art Heather!
Thanks, Mike. I needed to paint both a male and a female…they pair off so nicely and often just play in flocks bobbing on the waters of Morro Bay. Quite amusing! Doesn’t take much to entertain me!
Really nice painting. I like the appearance of the ducks bobbing on the surface of the water. The colors are striking
Thank you. I’ve always enjoyed the chunky shape of ducks and their bobbing on the waves. I grew up watching huge flocks of ducks on Barnegat Bay, NJ. My neighbor was a hunter and so his sons learned to ID all that were in their freezer. I have no need to eat these beautiful birds at all, nor any other animal… I know wonder how they ducks on Barnegat Bay are doing now… Heather