My Secret Signature

When I was in first grade my teacher taught us how to draw animals using letters of the alphabet. I really only remember that we made a whale out the letter W ... and then there was the S-Duck. Since my name began with S, I quickly had a natural affinity to this letter.  Who knows, perhaps this is where my love for drawing birds also was birthed. I started drawing the S-Duck on every piece of paper I could get my hands on. I even drew it on sidewalks with chalk...and on a shirt sleeve...and maybe on a basement wall. (Not on a basement wall if my mom is reading this.)

The S-Ducky, which it affectionately became known as, needed scenery and a lovely, utopic world to live in. My drawings began to portray S-Ducky floating on top of blue ocean water filled with seaweed, clams, fish and rocks. The sky was always blue and the sun was shining. 

A bit embarrassing is the evolution of S-Ducky drawings after this point.  I'm not sure when I became so obsessed with love and marriage, but my six year old brain thought this must be the measure of pure bliss... so, of course Mr. S-Ducky met Mrs. S-Ducky and they expressed their love with marriage vows on the Sea of Love.

Years ago, when I was getting started down my professional painting path, my sister said I should put some sort of personalized signature on the back of my original paintings. She then said, "You need to put the S-Ducky!" We both laughed, and it definitely seemed fitting. For several years now, the S-Ducky has been my "secret signature" on the back of my paintings. So please know that if you own one of my paintings, you actually own two pieces of my art, and the S-Ducky is my love stamp.