Most Maryland waterfowl enthusiasts use shotguns to nab their prey. Jim Taylor does it with a nylon brush. Wood ducks, tundra swans, Canada geese — all have been captured on canvas by Taylor, a prize-winning artist from Towson.
Last month, he won the 41st annual Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp Design Contest, a celebrated competition that will place his entry on this year's $9 regulatory stamp required of all waterfowl hunters. Last year, 52,579 Maryland Duck Stamps were sold. Proceeds go toward the purchase and protection of Maryland wetlands.
Taylor's acrylic painting, "Sunset Canvasbacks," shows two ducks, male and female, flying low over the Chesapeake Bay at dusk.
"I wanted to put the birds close to the water, to capture the feel of the gentle waves and to catch the purply blues on the water at sunset," said Taylor, 54.
The painting, with his typical kinetic style, shows the ducks racing across the water. Never mind whether they are fleeing man, seeking food or headed home.
"I like action," Taylor said. "I didn't want to paint two birds just swimming in the bay."
One of 23 entrants, he won the stamp-design contest, sponsored by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, for the fourth time in 18 years. Taylor's previous victories came in 1997, 2007 and 2011. Another Towson resident, David Turnbaugh, has won a record six times. Victors are prohibited from competing for the next three years.
"To win as often as I have is quite an honor," Taylor said.
This year's stamp will be issued in midsummer, said Patricia Handy, the DNR official who oversees the contest. Judges are Maryland experts in waterfowl anatomy, plumage and habitat.
"They look for paintings that are crisp, clear, concise and not too dark," Handy said. "They want a piece with a 'wow' factor. Usually, a great painting will just pop out at you."
Taylor's ducks did that.
An avid bird-watcher, he grew up in Betterton, in Kent County; attended the Maryland Institute College of Art; and earned a degree in graphic design. Despite his success — some paintings have sold for several thousand dollars — his pastime remains a sidelight for Taylor, who works as communications director for an insurance company.
One framed painting — a snowy egret poised on a log, its reflection mirrored in the water below — hangs in a Towson art gallery for $3,000.
"I enjoy painting birds," he said. "I'll photograph them at Loch Raven Reservoir or Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and work from that. Last month, I took my camera while kayaking near Crisfield. Or I'll go to the Patuxent Research Refuge [in Laurel], where they have mounted birds and a collection of waterfowl wings, and take pictures of them."
Research is key, Taylor said. For instance, "in painting wood ducks, I'll have some oak leaves hanging over the water, because they eat the acorns. You need to know their environment."
To that end, he has, on occasion, gone duck and goose hunting, though he has never bagged either.
"It's not something that I enjoyed a lot," he said. "But I respect those who do it. Waterfowl hunters are some of our biggest conservationists."
He paints at home, in a bedroom turned studio, sketching and tweaking his designs in pencil for several weeks. Then out come the paints. No oils, thank you.
"I don't like the smell," he said. "Besides, with acrylics, I build up layers of colors and I can paint over my mistakes, though I rarely start over. I can almost visualize the end product when I start."
Taylor's favorite color? "Blue. It's trustworthy, calming and my go-to color," he said.
Each painting takes about 80 hours to complete over several months.
"I have more ideas than I have time to paint," he said. "I've done bald eagles and red-tailed hawks. But I've never painted seabirds, and I'm itching to do some cardinals and bluebirds. I want to do an owl — what a great bird; it's so cool."
The bucket list goes on and on.
"As long as they keep making stronger eyeglasses, I can paint the detail," he said.
Taylor's resume also includes bird dog portraits, from Labradors and golden retrievers to Brittany spaniels.
A Ravens fan, he completed a portrait of the team's mascot last year and presented it to his favorite player, kicker Justin Tucker. The painting included several key numbers, including Tucker's jersey (9) and his longest field goal (61 yards).
The bird itself stands majestically, with its right foot in the air.
"I tried to position [the raven] like he was kicking, sort of," Taylor said.
Tucker said he treasures the painting.
"It was truly a pleasant surprise," he said. "The fact that [Taylor] took as much time as he did researching my stats and numbers that have been significant throughout my football career, and then incorporated them into a beautiful painting specifically for me, is special and unique."
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