Artist places 1st with depiction of a pair of specklebelly geese
Lafayette’s Tony Bernard captured first place in the 2014 Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp competition, a contest that determines the image to be used on what is commonly referred to as the Louisiana Duck Stamp.
Bernard, who also won the 2007 stamp competition, beat out 20 other competitors in the competition with his image of a pair of specklebelly geese, according to a press release from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
“Again this year, the department was impressed with the number of high quality entries,” LDWF Waterfowl Study Leader Larry Reynolds said in the release. “Bernard’s painting combined a spectacular depiction of a pair of white-fronted geese, the most targeted species for goose hunters in Louisiana and a highly desirable prize among waterfowl hunters everywhere, with a background of marsh and leaden sky that makes you feel optimistic about the upcoming hunt.”
The 2014 stamp is expected to go on sale June 1, and Bernard will retain the original artwork and have reproduction rights to the image for prints after LDWF produces the stamps, according to the release.
The Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp program was established in 1988 by the Louisiana Legislature to generate revenue for conservation and enhancement of state wetlands and other worthy programs that benefit Louisiana’s ducks and geese. This program has generated over $11 million for wetland conservation in Louisiana since 1989, with over $270,000 from last year’s stamp sales alone, the release states.
