"Courtship"

There are many Mallard ducks in northwest Indiana, and because I see them quite often while on my nature excursions, I chose them as my 1993 Indiana Department of Natural Resources stamp contest entry.

Mallards are fascinating to watch. In flight they rapidly flap their wings, and in water they glide gracefully. The colors of the male in the spring are incredible, and I love the soft earth tones of the female.

I researched duck stamps and found that most stamps have a tone of blue as the background so I chose a green background because the pond where I saw the two Mallards had a green tint at the time. I believe in painting what I see or have seen; I cannot change a background color just to make a "pretty" picture.

The IDNR had certain guidelines one of them being the 5 x 7 size of the stamp entries. The title is a reflection on the pair of Mallards; the male and female adult ducks were together as a couple.