Decoy Duck c. 1939

John Sullivan made this 'Decoy Duck' with watercolor, graphite, and touches of gouache. It's not just a painting of a duck; it's an exercise in seeing. Look how Sullivan plays with blues and browns, those muted, almost earthy tones. The paint application is so smooth, creating a flat surface, but there's a subtle graininess that gives it a tactile quality. It is as if you could reach out and feel the wood grain beneath the paint. Notice the way the colours bleed into each other around the neck and the curve of the back. It's not about perfection; it's about the process, the act of seeing and rendering. Sullivan's piece reminds me a little of Alex Katz, in that he is also taking a subject that would traditionally be painted in a realistic way and using it to play with form and colour instead. With this picture, Sullivan invites us to slow down, to really look, and to appreciate the quiet beauty in the everyday.