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Doggie and Decoys
By Heather Gaghan
Traveling has always been a part of our featured artist,
Laura DeNardo’s life. In 1975, she moved from Pittsburgh to Canton, a historic
waterfront neighborhood outside Baltimore that reminded Laura of her hometown
in Pittsburgh. Laura attended Slippery Rock State College as an Education and
Art major. While attending college she worked on the yearbook as a staff photographer
which started her career in taking pictures.
DeNardo’s images are haunting in black and white and
sometimes sepia tones. Her pictures are, at first glance stark, but the viewer
is quickly captured by the age-old romantic lure of the waves caressing the bow
and stern of the ships resting on the water. Every picture is taken using 35mm
film, developed and individually darkroom printed with no computer enhancement
of any kind.
Laura finds artistic inspiration in all the places she
travels, but the place she calls home is especially magnetic along the
Chesapeake Bay. The artist recalls passing by the bay area in the fall and seeing
the shoreline dotted with hunters sitting in their duck blinds enjoying the
sportsmanship and comradery that comes with duck hunting. As with all hunters, the
men DeNardo sees are often accompanied by their ever-faithful companions and
lovers of the water- their Labrador Retrievers.
Historically, duck hunters not only brought their Labs, but
made sure they had decoys to lure the waterfowl within shooting range. Today,
decoys are luring more people than ducks. The art of decoy making has been a
treasured part of the Chesapeake Bay culture and the Havre de Grace Decoy
Museum “houses one of the finest collections of working and decorative
Chesapeake Bay decoys ever assembled.”
Laura is active on the Board of Directors of the Museum in
Maryland. It was during her time serving on the Board when the picture of the Labrador
and decoy was created. Laura says most of her images are created for poster art
and then are scaled down for note cards, wrapping paper, tissue paper, and even
china.
Laura uses pen and ink “because it’s easy to travel with and
[I] do a lot of [my] work on the road.” She uses a Crowquill pen “which you dip
in the ink each time you want to use it.” The artist prefers this pen for the
“inconsistent” dot patterns it creates. The results are more natural and
life-like — important considering her subject matter.
The name Duckblind came about
after one of her many views along the Chesapeake shoreline. For those of us who
are not familiar with the world of duck hunting, a duck blind is a hideout of
various shapes, sizes, and materials that hides a hunter and his companions-
human and dog- from the duck’s sight. The idea is more complex in design, but
as straightforward as a traditional decoy.
Many of the decoys on Laura
DeNardo’s work come from collaborations with the master carvers she has met
through the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum. Her simple and elegant black and white
images are available in many printed formats including Christmas cards,
wrapping paper and tissue paper. Laura’s work can be seen at her studio
and gallery at 3401 Elliott Street in Canton, Maryland or online at www.duckblind.com.,
and Laura DeNardo Photography- www.lauradenardo.com.
“I had the pleasure of meeting Laura at the
Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, SC. Right away I knew that I
wanted a print for myself and asked her if we could carry her beautiful cards
and prints in our store. I highly recommend checking her event’s calendar and
meeting her in person.” - Laura Barmore
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