Wilde Dookes 

Editor: This is Francis Barlow's "Wilde Dookes," a tiny etching teeming with duck drama. I love the one diving headfirst into the water! What's your take? Curator: It's a whimsical piece, isn't it? Barlow's etching captures a sort of ducky domesticity, but with a touch of the absurd. It makes me wonder, were these ducks just models, or reflections of a lively household he knew? Editor: That's a great question. It certainly feels like more than just a study of waterfowl. Curator: Exactly! There's a story here, even if we can't quite quack the code. And I find that endlessly charming. Editor: I'll never look at ducks the same way again. Curator: That's the magic, isn't it? Art transforming the ordinary into something extraordinary.