October Day

Original Oil Painting by David Turnbaugh (1937-2023).

Pintails rest on quiet Chesapeake Bay marsh.

"October Day" won the “Duck Stamp” competition held in 2004 at the Patuxent Wildlife Art Show at the National Wildlife Visitors Center in Laurel, Md. Entries are judged for artistic merit, scientific accuracy, and for consideration of stamp design. Dave’s rendering of a Pintails pair quietly floating on a marsh on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay was compressed and reproduced in stamp form for use as the 2004-2005 game bird hunting license.

Approximately 50,000 stamps are sold annually, raising nearly $0.5 million for Maryland’s game bird research and habitat enhancement programs. Since its inception in 1974, over $6 million in stamp revenue has been used to create and improve waterfowl migration and wintering habitats. Duck stamps are widely collected and are available through the Department of Natural Resources (www.DNR.state.md.us).

Turnbaugh is well-known for his oil paintings depicting Maryland waterfowl, Chesapeake skipjacks and workboats, and Mid-Atlantic landscapes.

David T. Turnbaugh is Maryland’s only six-time winner of the prestigious Migratory Game Bird Stamp Design Contest. “I feel fortunate to be painting these beautiful birds and to compete in this contest,” said Mr. Turnbaugh. “I’m very happy to be able to play a small part in the conservation of Maryland’s waterfowl and its wetlands.”

"Art is more than my livelihood. It's my passion, the way I capture and celebrate life. I am proud to label myself a 'Pure Realist.' Pure because nature is pure. And Realist because I attempt to record nature, objects and light as they appear to me. I try to capture a moment in time, a moment that, to me, will never be repeated." David Turnbaugh