When life gives you lemons, draw them, 11 x 14 inches dry pastels, graphite on paper

"When life gives you lemons, draw them." (Nikki)

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language." (Paul Gauguin)

reptiles

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Every day is Earth Day

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008


 

Green Anole - digitized sphere, photography

Caring. It’s that simple.

For facts about Green Anoles and other reptile care and conservation: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Anole.cfm

In the garden

Saturday, April 19th, 2008


 

Male Green Anole, mating season

It is Green Anole mating season. A male sits on the warm barbecue and sports his attractive dewlap. My hopes are that the Anoles will expand their family here, and that they eat fire ants!

Portulaca

Portulaca: low-maintenance, sun-thriving, cheerful colors.

Garden sculpture of a heron, made of vines and grasses. A sparrow borrows some material for its nest.

Homemade garden sculpture of a heron, which I replenish regularly throughout the year with branches, vines and grasses. This morning a sparrow borrowed some material for its nest.

Green Anoles are back

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008


 
Green Anole, male

The little Anoles come out on the warmest days now, sporting their finest green skins! I watched this male do courtship ritual posturing, and hoped to capture him fanning out the red flap of skin under its’ chin (dewlap), but I guess I wasn’t pretty enough for him!

Lizard Love

Friday, January 25th, 2008


 

Lizard Love, Fort Worth Zoo, Texas USA, 11 X 14 inch photograph

The Fort Worth Zoo has the best amphibian displays. Visiting a zoo or botanical park can do wonders to lift the Winter Blues!

Don we now our gay apparel

Wednesday, December 12th, 2007


 
Don we now our gay apparel!

The temperatures have dropped considerably here today… see what I found on the dining room shades this morning. Don we now our gay apparel!

Anoles in the sun

Monday, November 19th, 2007


 

Anole under the rug, and eating fire ants

 

Anole, Lewisville, TX Anole, Lewisville, TX

Today there were three anoles playing in a warm sunny area by the back door, changing shades of brown and green. There was a lot of rain earlier in the year, so that must be why there seems to be more this year than in the five years we’ve lived here.

Seasonal treasures

Sunday, November 11th, 2007


 

Filigree #1

Filigree #2

While photographing the filigree on many of the decaying oak leaves in a park forest, leaning backwards with my head in the branches, a little green snake struck out at me, the delicate body about 8″ long and no wider than a baby finger. I wrote to the Biology Dept. at Texas University, and they identified it as a Rough Green Snake – Opheodrys aestivus – it’s non-venomous.

Rough green snake - Opheodrys aestivus - nonvenomous, Coppell, Texas

Walking back home completely happy to have chosen that path, expecting no more treasure for the day, a leaf twirled in the breeze, hanging from a spider web strand.

Magical twirling leaf

Emerald Tree Boas

Saturday, August 4th, 2007


 

Emerald Tree Boas - Dallas World Aquarium - 24H x 57W x 2D inches acrylics on canvas

Emerald Tree Boas, 24H x 57W x 2D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted, trim frame

This painting accumulated finer detail than is typical of my work, except in graphite illustrations. The Emerald Tree Boas are one of my favorite exhibits at the Dallas World Aquarium (Texas). Their beautiful green skin has striking black and white scale patterns along the spine and a turquoise mother-of-pearl overall sheen that’s visible at certain angles where the body delicately curls and bends.
It would be nice if this painting could carry enough potency to alter the automatic responses of fear and disgust that are associated with snakes. I made Santa hats with construction paper and cotton balls, taping them on as part of our Christmas decorations.

  Left detail, Boas' Christmas, construction paper, cotton balls taped on Emerald Tree Boas, 24 x 57 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas Right detail, Boas' Christmas, construction paper, cotton balls taped on Emerald Tree Boas, 24 x 57 x 3 inches acrylics on canvas

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