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AUGUSTA, Maine - Richard A. Alley, Jr. took first prize in the 2004 Maine Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Contest held this afternoon at the Augusta Civic Center. This year's subject was the Barrow's goldeneye. Alley's oil painting featured drake and a hen airborne over a river. It received the highest score from the panel of 5 judges. "It's a tough species to work with," said Alley of the Barrow's goldeneye, "I had to work from several photos to create the scene." The painting features a drake and a hen lifting off along a river during an overcast day. It took Alley a couple of weeks to create the oil scene. Alley is a lobsterman most of the year, but during January and February, he takes the time to paint. Occasionally he continues through April, painting seascapes and landscapes. This is the fifth time that Alley's work has been honored as the Maine Migratory Waterfowl Stamp. Alley will receive a cash award of $1,000 and a sheet of 10 stamps with his design on them. Designs are judged on originality, artistic composition, anatomical accuracy and suitability for reproduction as a stamp and print. A Maine Migratory Waterfowl Hunting authority is required of anyone age 16 and over who hunts waterfowl in Maine. |