Tufted Duck 1913

Archibald Thorburn made this painting of Tufted Ducks with what looks like watercolour. There’s a real sense of layering and building up the image here, a slow process of adding detail, almost like knitting. Look closely at the way the light hits the water, it’s captured with such delicate touches. I love the little ripples, so gentle. The way Thorburn handles the textures of the feathers, especially on the tufted duck itself, shows such a mastery of the medium. It's almost as if he’s trying to capture not just what they look like, but how they feel to the touch. The colours are muted, earthy, except for that amazing purple sheen on the duck’s head. It just pops! You know who this reminds me of? Maybe John James Audubon, but with a quieter, more intimate feel. It's a reminder that art, even when it looks straightforward, can hold so many layers of seeing and feeling.