Duck decoys are something I knew very little about before I began this Native New England series. My partner had told me many times what a great subject it could be for me and he introduced me to the duck decoys that were famously painted by the American artist and illustrator Stevan Dohanos.

After giving myself the freedom to explore this new series and execute the first round of pieces that I knew I wanted to do I did finally open up to the subject of decoys and painted my first two. This led to me reading up on the subject and the history of decoys as a uniquely American tradition that has since gained popularity the world over and become an art form in its own right. Originally used by hunters to draw wild fowl to traps and target range these objects became desired by collectors and inspired many artists to begin crafting and creating their own with lifelike precision. So for me, these objects represent the cross over between craft, rustic Americana lifestyle, and art, and tell a part of the story of our New England surroundings.