I painted this 24 x 12″ canvas in May of this year. It showed at the Orange County Fair from July to August, and now it’s back in my painty little hands!

I came to call them “melty ducks” and I like to think they’re mildly miserable in that melty muck. All of them are trying to pull themselves up and out of the goo, and now one of them has done it! He floats away uncertainly. The misery below is miserable, but at least it’s familiar. What about the others? Are they excited? Jealous? Proud? Indifferent? How do their feelings affect the one as he floats off?

Oil paints are goopy melty fun — the perfect medium for goopy melty creatures. I associate oils with school assignments, where we painted from life. I had never done a completely imagined oil painting. I started with a very dark blue base coat and worked the values up into the light.  It’s still quite a dark painting, especially considering how bright my work usually is. It’s moody, but hopefully just enough to be eerie and not mournful.

If I were to do a second painting, I’d explore what awaits this floating blob when he finally turns his head up to the future.

This painting is for sale! Shoot me an email if you’re interested.