Archive for January, 2021
« Previous EntriesSnow Day 02: Rose Hips
Friday, January 29th, 2021
Snow Day 02: Rose Hips, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.
Snow Day 01
Tuesday, January 26th, 2021
Snow Day 01, Hillsboro OR – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Wildorado Wind Ranch
Monday, January 25th, 2021
Wildorado Wind Ranch, Texas – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Petrified Forest
Sunday, January 24th, 2021
Crystal Forest Trail, Petrified Forest National Park, AZ – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.
Silent reverence for geologic history, Petrified Forest National Park, Crystal Forest Trail AZ USA. Not a whole lot more to draw here! The land is barren except for desert grass and the odd tumbleweed. This was once a lush forest, and dinosaurs roamed here. It was February, but I bet this place looks the same in July. The silence was layered with dry grasses in the breeze, ravens’ calls, and my imagination.
I had never seen a tumbleweed up close before, so since I hadn’t seen any traffic or other people for about an hour, I hopped out of the car to take photos of one in the middle of the road before it blew away. Satisfied with the takes, I got up off the road and a bus was right there 25 ft. away, waiting for me to finish. I don’t know how long the bus was there, but was thankful the driver didn’t honk… and more thankful that he saw me.
Red Rock State Park, Denver CO
Friday, January 22nd, 2021
Red Rock State Park, Denver CO – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper.
Fruit Bats, Adelaide Australia
Monday, January 18th, 2021
Fruit Bats, Adelaide Botanic Gardens, South Australia – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. One of my most memorable experiences of all time was seeing the thousands of fruit bats in Adelaide. On a hot day at sunset we sat and watched them skim across the river, fly back to a tree, settle on a branch and lick the water off their fur.
Cedar Waxwings
Thursday, January 14th, 2021
Cedar Waxwings in the Red-Hot Poker flowers, seed heads forming… Hillsboro, OR. 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.
I’ve seen this only twice, for just one or two mornings during Spring when the Red-Hot Poker flowers are at their peak. This is why I have my camera handy at all times. Wings fluttering, the birds would lose their balance and change positions as the tall stocks bent from their weight, hovering briefly to sip the nectar of the fresh flower buds. Last summer I watched Cedar Waxwings hovering to eat tree berries, and I even saw them flying out to catch bugs in mid-air. Some things you only see once – it feels so special to be in the right place at the right time.
Kananaskis Valley, AB Canada
Sunday, January 10th, 2021
Kananaskis Valley near Banff, Alberta Canada – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.
Prairie Dogs, Drumheller, AB
Wednesday, January 6th, 2021
Prairie Dogs, also called gophers, the Badlands Hoodoos near Drumheller, Alberta Canada. 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches.
The geography in this area of Alberta is incredible, and the gophers are so very much a part of prairie ecology. They are cute to be sure, but they dig their homes in fields and are a nuisance to farmers whose horses and cattle can trip and break their ankles and legs.
You know Spring has finally arrived when the roads and highways are littered with gopher roadkill. In Torrington, Alberta, one lady has found a creative way to manage that. You must visit The World-Famous Gopher Hole Museum located in the middle of nowhere, in a small prairie hamlet where there is not even a gas station, barely noticeable along a seemingly endless dusty gravel road. Gophers are stuffed, sporting handmade costumes and placed in small cubicles displaying historic scenes. Completely bizarre, but actually very well done and absolutely worth the trip.
Feeding Cockatoos, Apollo Bay, Australia
Sunday, January 3rd, 2021
Feeding Cockatoos, Apollo Bay, along the Great Ocean Road, Australia – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper.
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