WESTPORT — For 70 hours, Janice Sexton strained to capture the old Canada goose decoy’s every detail with her brush.

“I went quarter inch by quarter inch to make sure I caught every scratch, every ding, every dent, because I knew that’s what the judges would be looking for with their magnifying glasses,” the Westport painter said.

Her diligence paid off with a telephone call to her Forge Road home.

“I recognized the voice and I knew right away that I must have won because they only call to notify the winner.” Having entered the Massachusetts Waterfowl Stamp competition every year since 1998, she had a couple of second places and three honorable mentions to her credit — word of each of those came by mail.

Ms. Sexton had indeed won the 2010 competition, the caller from Mass Wildlife said. Her work is now in the process of being transferred onto the duck stamps that every hunter of wildfowl in the state must possess. The stamps are also prized by collectors.

The Massachusetts competition attracts artists from around the country (this year’s runner-up was from Iowa; honorable mention from Louisiana) and artists must adhere to strict standards.

Since a goal of the competition is to celebrate the folk art of decoy carving, artists are required to paint a decoy by a deceased Massachusetts decoy carver and they must capture every detail in an 8 1/2” by 11” size.

For her decoy, Ms. Sexton chose a Canada goose carved in the late 1800s or early 1900s by J. Thomas Wilson of Ipswich. Born in England, Mr. Wilson was a machinist, guide and market gunner who also carved exquisite decoys. This one is on display at the Peabody Essex Museum and Ms. Sexton worked from a slide sent to her by the museum.

Working in gouache (“an opaque watercolor”) she said she was able to capture the colors without too much trouble but getting every detail was exhausting on the eyes, even for a painter who has always enjoyed doing realistic nature and animal scenes.

With her own paintings, she said she has learned over the years to keep the center of interest finely detailed and to soften the edges. “With this, it’s got to be realistic throughout.”

Ceremonies honoring the winners were held last weekend at the Springfield Science Museum where the entire field of 2010 entries will remain on display through Oct. 4

The contest requires Ms. Sexton to offer a limited number of prints of her decoy painting for sail but she thinks she will keep the original.

She adds that she’ll enter the competition again but has three years to rest up — winners aren’t allowed to enter for three years but are asked to help with the judging.

Designed Westport town flag

Ms. Sexton studied fine art at the University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee), the University of California (Sonoma State), and the University of Nevada (Reno), as well as with several private instructors. She has won awards in juried art shows and competitions nationwide and has shown her work in both group and solo exhibitions. She has been the recipient of several grants throughout her career, including the Helen Ellis Trust Fund Grant, which was used to create the winning design for Westport’s first town flag since its incorporation in 1787.

To view more of her ...www.janicesexton.com

Ms. Sexton and her husband Joe have two grown children, Harmony and Troy, and recently became grandparents.