Celebrate waterfowl (plush, wood, ceramic, etc.)
Ducks, geese, swans, they're taking over (good way not bad way).
Have you encountered duck decoys? These life-size bird figurines (FOR MEN - it’s not a doll, it’s hunting gear!) do a little tromp l’oeil thing, except the l’oeil they’re tromping is supposed to be other ducks. They are technically for convincing actual living ducks that a particular pond is a nice place to chill (don’t fall for it guys). Unintended side effect: they’re also good at convincing people that a particular spot is a nice place to chill (art).
Antique duck decoys are highly collectible by people I’ve never had a conversation with. I’m assuming: hunters with a latent love for the arts. The thing is - ducks are really cute and quite shapely, and there are a lot of talented sculptors working under cover of ‘hunting interest’ in this category, so the decoys are beautiful.
If you pay enough attention to estates and antiques, eventually you become aware of every collecting category (I see you petroliana), and some are a lot more understandable than others. My point is, duck decoys are honestly kind of worth watching. Imagine your current apartment with your Hay Mags Soft sofa and your Mangiarotti coffee table and your Rush House rug - but with an antique richly-colored wood duck decoy among them? Think how beautiful that duck makes everything. How warm. This is the waterfowl effect.
That leaves us two more important points to make:
I am not the only one going buck for duck right now.
Geese and swans also count.
On points 1 and 2, the Realm (algorithmic chamber in which I/we live) appears to be filling up with waterfowl right now. (Can anyone else see it? Honestly sound off y’all.) Examples from the last week:
a. The Great Northern Illuminated Mallard (a lamp) by Overt Cove at Jonald Dudd;
b. Kelli Kikcio’s Swan Bond at the Other Art Fair;
c. two medium-scary, perfect swans in a 350 year old tapestry at The Met (legally current because I visited during design week).
Which - what a relief that the feeling is out there among many a talented designer and artist, because here is where my head (thus: store) has been lately:
A parting thought: to use duck decoys (original purpose), one arranges them artfully enough in situ to attract the real ducks. This is the hunters acting as gallerists.
If This, Then That:
