“This painting was done from a reference photo I took at Capitol Lake in Pierre. In the last few years a few have shown up in late fall, and they are unlike most of the water- fowl spotted on that lake. Getting close enough for a good photo of a Hooded Merganzer is not easy to do, even on a lake in the middle of town. I got lucky one day, and captured an amazing photo; I knew immediately that I needed to create a painting of this beautiful duck with the water droplets weaving their way down his black, white, and gold colored chest.”