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A LITTLE HISTORY ON THE 65TH (1998-99) DUCK STAMP ARTIST

This was the 17th time Robert Steiner has entered the Federal Duck Stamp Contest. He submitted a version of this painting 2 years ago and it placed third. When contacted at his studio in San Francisco, California, Steiner said, "I did have a good feeling about this piece. I just put the earlier version up in front of me and asked myself, 'How can I improve on that?' I was actually a little surprised at how much improving I was able to do."

Steiner is a professional artist who owns his own print publishing company. He paints primarily waterfowl and retrievers, although he sometimes paints other subjects. He has either won or been commissioned to paint 41 state duck stamps, a record in wildlife art, as well as the 1995 California upland game bird stamp.

--------------------THE ART--------------------

Barrow's Goldeneyes are found chiefly in Alaska and western Canada. Breeding areas also include the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, Washington, and California and the Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming Rockies. In the West, they winter along the Pacific Coast from the Aleutians to San Francisco and in the East, along the coasts of southwestern Greenland, Newfoundland, and New England. There are also concentrated wintering populations in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Barrow's Goldeneyes are year-round residents of Iceland.

The male Barrow's golden-eye is a striking black-and-white bird with dark purple head. There is an irregular white patch between the eye and bill, which is gray. The female has a brownish head, white neck and belly, mottled gray back and wings, and yellow bill. As the name suggests, the eyes of both male and female are yellow-gold. Barrow's Goldeneyes usually nest in tree cavities, sometimes as high as 50 feet above the ground, and feed primarily on aquatic insects, mollusks, and crustaceans.
This is the first time the Barrow's Goldeneyes has been featured on a Duck Stamp.

Barrow's Goldeneyes was reproduced as a lithograph on 100% rag paper using fade resistant inks.   The print image size is 6 1/2" x 9".  The regular edition consisted on 17,500 signed and numbered prints.  2000 medallion edition prints as well as 500 executive prints were produced.

--------------------THE STAMP--------------------
Barrow's Golden-eye…Engraved by the Federal Bureau of Engraving from the original artwork. Printed in full color. The stamp sold for fifteen dollars. Postal records show 1,685,002 stamps sold. First day of sale was July 1, 1998.