Lupine, Sherwood, OR – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb WC paper.

Bearded Dragon, City Botanic Gardens, Brisbane, Australia – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper. Framed size 27H x 33W”.

Chinese Gardens, Singapore with Strangler Fig trees, Jurong Lake Gardens – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper

Snow Day 02: Rose Hips, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.

Snow Day 01, Hillsboro OR – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Organic – Wildorado Wind Ranch, 25 miles from Amarillo, Texas – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W” white mat and white wood frame with crackle finish.

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 – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper.

Fruit Bats, Adelaide Botanic Gardens, South Australia – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.

One of my most memorable and favorite experiences of all time was seeing what we initially thought were pinecones until they started moving – the thousands of fruit bats in the pine trees at Adelaide Botanic Gardens, located within the city limits. On a very hot summer day at sunset we sat and watched them fly low across the river, while skimming their bodies into the water, then fly back to a tree, settle on a branch and lick the water off their fur.

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 beside branches to eat tree berries, and on another occasion, flying out to catch bugs in mid-air. Some things you only see once, and it feels so special to be in the right place at the right time.