Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
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Caption |
"Wildfowlin at the Hilton" |
Description |
Framed print "Wildfowlin at the Hilton" painted by Minnesota wildlife artist Les C. Kouba. Two duck hunters are outside their hunting shack with a flock of thirteen geese flying overhead and duck decoys in a boat. One hunter points out the flock while the other cleans his gun. A CocaCola sign patch is on the roof and a rain barrel is below the rain gutter. A ladder extends to the upper loft. Published in 1986. 325/2000. Signed by Les Kouba in lower right corner. Wood frame; glass. Kouba: "This painting is of the typical old hunting shack found in the Midwest. I thought I’d paint a real beat up one and show everything in the camp. I wanted to add all the little goodies a hunter would like. I painted the game hanging up and the guys sitting around visiting. I showed one dude cleaning his gun while his buddy watched a flock pass overhead. Anytime I paint people, I have to do some real serious research. They have to look right and have the proper attitude. I figured I needed a model for this painting and then it came to me. 'Hey, why get a model? Hell, I hunt more than just about anybody. Why not paint myself in the picture?' I liked the idea so much that I got out my old hunting cap and jacket and sat down on the loveseat in the backyard. Orial took photos of me as I cleaned my gun. I had her take some shots as I pointed into the sky like I was showing my partner a flight of honkers. I painted myself in the painting twice. The one sitting down is me, right now-note the gray hair. With the other dude, I exercised my artistic license. I painted away a few pounds, made the hair darker and put a pipe in my mouth-the way I looked 25 or 30 years ago. It’s the only time in my career as an artist that I’ve painted myself into the picture." [The Legacy of Les C. Kouba] |
Catalog Number |
1989-0105-201 |
Search Terms |
Kouba prints Artists Ducks Hunting "Wildfowlin at the Hilton" (Print) Wildlife art |
Subjects |
Prints Artists Ducks Hunting |
People |
Kouba, Leslie Carl |