Moscow Artist Paints State Waterfowl Stamp

By day, his hands cut studs, hang Sheetrock, and drive nails for Comstock Construction.

By night, in a quiet backyard studio, the same hands use fine camel hair brushes, acrylics and watercolors to bring pencil drawings to life.

Dave Gressard, 39, says with a grin, he’s been a “starving artist” for 10 years. Working from 9 to midnight a few nights a week, he built a modest portfolio of paintings and drawings depicting familiar wildlife of the Northwest and Alaska.

Now it’s paid off. Gressard’s portfolio stood out among work submitted by a dozen other artists, earning him a commission by the Idaho Fish and Game Department for this year’s state migratory waterfowl stamp.

The catch was that he only had six weeks to complete the male and female wood duck scene once the notice was given.

“From a creative standpoint, duck stamps are a commercial piece of artwork,” said Gressard. “The size and subject is specified and they require interim drawings to check composition. Plus you have to keep in mind that this art will be reduced and must be of the quality that it will reproduce well.”

Gressard’s limited-edition prints and originals have provided him with an honest reputation in the Northwest’s wildlife art world. He was the featured artist at the Idaho Wildlife Art Show in 1992. He’s also shown his work at the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association Art Show in Sacramento and the Pacific Rim Wildlife Art Show in Tacoma, which featured artists such as Bev Doolittle and Andrew Kiss, Canada’s 1994 Ducks Unlimited Artist of the Year.

“What I like about Dave’s work is that his animals are always so well researched,” said Shauna Lyman who heads Lyman Galleries in Lewiston and is the sister of renowned wildlife artist Stephen Lyman.

Part of Gressard’s accuracy can be attributed to his method of working from slides and photographs of the animals he paints. He’s quick to point out that he never copies a photographer’s composition, however. Instead he uses many different shots from different angles to give him a feel for the animal and its environment.

The 1995-96 Idaho duck stamp is available through hunting license dealers. In addition, the state is making 3,000 limited edition prints of Gressard’s work for sale through art galleries.