Decoy Duck c. 1938

Rose Campbell-Gerke made this delightful *Decoy Duck* at an unknown date and with an unknown medium. What really gets me going about this painting is the body of the duck, which is like a field of stippled marks. It has this raw, almost pointillist feel, like each dab of color is a tiny decision, a little world of its own. The head is bolder, with a solid red-brown that feels almost regal against the speckled body. Then there's the wing, carefully lined to create individual feathers, which have a lovely sense of depth. But it’s the texture, the feeling that you could reach out and touch those rough little dots, that really grabs you. This piece reminds me of the work of Milton Avery, who wasn't afraid to reduce forms to their most essential elements, and let the colors do the talking. Here, Campbell-Gerke lets the colors sing and the marks dance, inviting us into her own way of seeing.