Ryan Kirby Canvas Print Marsh Madness

This buyer of this original oil painting simply wanted a scene of landing mallards in a marsh with fall foliage. I like that sort of freedom, as I can play around with the background and the positioning of the ducks in flight. I like to choose where the tightest detail and highest contrast should go, drawing the viewer in and moving their eyes around the composition. The rest of the canvas is painted loosely with less contrast and detail. Mallards are great for this: their yellow beaks, green heads, blue secondary feathers and bright white highlights provide colorful areas of interest that make them stand out against the fall foliage and marsh grass of the background.