Acrylic on canvas, 16x12"

The painting is on a stretched canvas, painted round the sides, with string on the back, so it is ready to hang as it is or can be framed if you prefer.

This painting of ducks may at first seem like a serene, peaceful and happy depiction of nature, but is it really? The mother leads her babies and they struggle along, against water currents pushing them this way and that. They have to learn, but does the mother feel certain they are going to make it? And when can they ever relax? They are under threat from predators from below and above eg pike, otters, snakes, foxes, herons and birds of prey, and this must be even worse at night when they can't see what's coming. They must have to be constantly vigilant. I would find it very hard to be a duck, I would be unbearably anxious! For me, the painting is as much about the shapes and colours in the water as the ducks. I have tried to focus on both equally. The water on its own could look like an abstract painting with its connected flow across the canvas and the balance of colours.