Label & Artist Series
Pintails by Sherrie Russell Meline
Sherrie Russell Meline has been a professional artist since the mid-1970s. She graduated with honors in fine art from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1972. Her career began in San Jose, California in 1974 when she applied her unique painting style to laminated wood sculpture. Although a decoy collector since her college days, Sherrie's interest in waterfowl was not expressed in her work until she moved to Mount Shasta, California in 1980.
Northern California provides an abundance of material for Sherrie's paintings. She feels that observing and photographing waterfowl in both their native and captive environments are essential for establishing proper bird attitudes and capturing the fine feather detail evident in Sherrie's portrayal of a pair of Pintails for the 1997 Paraduxx label.
Sherrie paints in acrylic wash, delicately applied layer by layer from a self-mixed palette. All the colors are blended from combinations of red, yellow, blue, black, and white. By utilizing the vignette style, Sherrie is able to capture the markings and characteristics of a species as well as the personality of a particular bird.
Since 1982 Sherrie has been a member of the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association and has served on the Board of Directors since 1986. In 1990, Ducks Unlimited appointed her as Honorary National Trustee. She is a sponsor member of Ducks Unlimited and a life member of the California Waterfowl Association.
