The $2,400 Long-Tailed Ducks I Painted in Six Hours Over My Worst Failure Ever

(And yes – “Evening Swim” is still available right now)

If you’ve ever typed “large oil painting of birds,” “contemporary bird oil painting,” “duck painting for sale,” “long-tailed duck art,” or “realistic nature oil painting” into Google, I hope this post finds you. Because this is the story behind one of my favorite (and fastest) paintings – and it can be yours today for $2,400.

Title: Evening Swim Artist: Carlos Taylor Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 48 × 36 inches Subject: Three long-tailed ducks (Old Squaw) drifting through golden-hour light Price: $2,400 (still available at the gallery as of November 19, 2025)

Here’s the completely true, slightly ridiculous origin story.

Two years ago I had a massive canvas that I absolutely murdered. I started something, hated it, scraped it off, started again, hated it more, repeated for months. It became a scarred, lumpy graveyard of terrible ideas. I finally gave up, leaned it face-to-the-wall, and pretended it didn’t exist.

Fast-forward to spring 2025. My gallery calls in a mild panic: “Carlos, we need three large new pieces for the upcoming nature + wildlife show… in two weeks.”

I had zero large finished paintings. Zero.

I walked into the studio, saw that cursed canvas in the corner, and thought, “You know what? Today you die or become something great.”

I flipped it around, no priming, no prep, and just started painting directly over the disaster. Six hours later – one single six-hour session – I stepped back and actually liked what I saw: three long-tailed ducks catching the last warm light of the day, loose brushwork, luminous reflections, cool blues melting into gold. I titled it Evening Swim, signed it, and shipped it off with the two other deadline miracles.

It now hangs in the gallery looking calm and confident, as if it had been carefully planned for months instead of panic-blasted into existence in under a day. Underneath those serene ducks? Layers of my worst painting ever. I love that secret. It feels like redemption in pigment.

If you’re looking for:

• a large contemporary bird oil painting
• realistic yet painterly waterfowl art
• coastal or wetland nature scenery for your home
• an original oil painting of long-tailed ducks / sea ducks
• artwork that captures golden-hour light on water

…then come see Evening Swim in person or inquire through the gallery. It’s priced at $2,400 and ready to ship worldwide.

I paint moments of quiet in the natural world – wading birds, waterfowl, marshes at dawn, oceans at dusk – all in oils with a mix of realism and atmospheric mood. My collectors tend to be people who kayak, bird-watch, hunt ducks, or simply love that feeling of standing still while the rest of the world rushes by.

Whether you found me searching “Carlos Taylor artist,” “blue heron oil painting,” “long-tailed duck painting for sale,” “large bird painting living room,” or any of the hundred variations Google offers, I’m glad you’re here.

If this painting speaks to you, don’t wait too long – the show is up now and pieces have been moving fast.

Inquiries: [your gallery contact / your website / your email – I can add the real link if you give it to me]

Thank you for looking, and thank you for supporting living artists who occasionally paint over their disasters in six-hour bursts of desperation and joy.

– Carlos Taylor Contemporary oil painter of birds, wetlands, and quiet water Website: www.carlostaylorart.com Currently exhibiting: American Holiday in St.Michaels

(And yes – if another deadline miracle is required, I still have a couple of terrible old canvases in the corner waiting for redemption.)