Art and wildlife will pair up Saturday at the North Carolina Estuarium’s 18^th-annual decoy-painting workshop.

The event is part of Arts of the Pamlico’s Carolina Wildlife Arts Festival, slated for Friday and Saturday.

The Estuarium’s environmental educator, Russ Chesson, and Eastern North Carolina Wildfowl Guild’s Lisa Strang will lead the program, in which children paint decoys using acrylic paints.

“This year, we’re painting a mallard,” Chesson said. “They’re one of the most widely known ducks, and they’re a favorite for decoy painters because they have such striking colors.”

Chesson specified they will be painting the drakes, or males, which have a dark, iridescent green head and bright yellow bill to a gray, brown and black body. Acrylic paints will be used by the children to recreate the ducks’ coloring on the small decoys.

“They’re not functional decoys; they’re more of desktop or tabletop decoy. They’re small enough for the young people to paint. They’re not full size, but they make great collectors’ items,” Chesson said.

The program, in conjunction with the festival, has proven popular over the years, with children returning year after to year to paint decoys.

“A lot of our more seasoned youth decoy painters have volunteered to come back and help the new generations, so that’s been fun to watch over the years,” Chesson said.

The program will be held in the Nature Room at the Estuarium and is designed for children ages 4 to 12. Paints and decoys will be provided. There are two sessions available: the first is at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by another at 11 a.m. Reservations are required, however, if there is space available, walk-ins will be accepted, Chesson said.

To sign up for the decoy-painting workshop, call 252-948-0000 by Friday.

The Estuarium is located at 223 E. Water St. in Washington.