Untitled - Mallard Ducks

Untitled painting of Mallard Ducks by Sarah Thorp Heald in 1919. Crow Wing County Historical Society. Watercolor and Pastel on Paper. 

This painting was done in 1919, shortly after Heald and her family moved to Prophetstown, Illinois. If this painting was done from life, it was likely done near there. In this painting, Heald flexes her skills in watercolor. These Mallards are realistic in their feathers and their poses. It is interesting to speculate why Heald did so many Oil paintings when she studied Watercolor painting specifically at the Corcoran Art School. The truth is that Heald was not a rich woman and her commissioned paintings were sometimes the only things keeping Heald and her family out of poverty. This makes these watercolor paintings more interesting. Why did she do this painting in watercolor instead? These watercolors are also very rare because watercolors do not tend to hold up as well as oil paintings, especially when cared for improperly.