A Life Carved in Marshland: The Story of Thomas H. Gelston Thomas H. Gelston, born in 1851 in the idyllic setting of Oyster Bay, Long Island, was not a painter striving for grand historical narratives or portraits of societal elites. His canvas was the natural world, specifically the rich coastal marshes and bays surrounding his home, and his medium was wood – transformed into remarkably lifelike wildfowl decoys. While he lived a life seemingly touched by privilege as a descendant of a prominent Long Island family, Gelston’s true passion lay not in business or social pursuits but in the art…