A Naperville artist is working on what might be the wildest art project this side of the pond, hoping to make a splash with her painted duck sculpture.
“I hope it’s just as fun for people to look at as it was to paint,” said professional artist Margaret Rubin.
Part of a Naperville summer tradition
Rubin is painting one of 18 ducks flocking to downtown Naperville as part of its summer sculpture tradition. Each one – just like the sculptures in years past – is sponsored by a different business.
When Kelly Law Firm asked Rubin to paint its sculpture, now for the second time, she decided to dive right in. Last year, the Naperville art teacher worked on the law firm’s snail.
“Kids are telling me ‘Oh, I went by your snail. I took a picture with your snail last year,'” said Rubin. So I think it’s fun for them to know one of the artists who painted the sculptures since they’re down there with their families.”
Duck-orating with a jungle theme
Rubin decided to duck-orate this year’s sculpture with all sorts of animals, from tree frogs to snakes, and even a tiger: all fitting the bill for a jungle theme.
“This was inspired because we went to Costa Rica last summer and loved being in the rainforest there.”
She didn’t just wing it. Rubin started with a pencil sketch and then carefully built from there.
“Then I try to fill up as much as I can with the bigger subject matter, the bigger animals,” she said. “The final process [is] going in with the smallest brushes and some of the pens for some of those details.”
Those details have amounted to countless hours of work, day and night, but Rubin says it’ll all be worth it if it helps to quack a smile.
“It was really fun to have a go-to project and I love public art. I think it enriches the community and adds a lot of joy to downtown Naperville,” Rubin said.
When and where to see her finished duck sculpture
Rubin’s duck will waddle its way downtown in June, along with the others, for all to see until September. The Downtown Naperville Alliance will share a map with all duck locations and details. Beginning in June, visitors can also vote for their favorite sculpture.
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