A large shape was on top of the otherwise thin and angular branch and looked slightly out of place. But it was not out of place at all. It was an owl.
The Acorn Buffet
Sketchbook: Cicada Molt and Hickory Nut
Plein Air: Pokeweed
The Mushroom Corner
Concert in the Woods
A darkness prevails in the understory of the woods, but the green leaves at the very tops of the oak trees remain illuminated by a retreating sun. The piercing call of a northern flicker cuts through the woods while robins softly purp. Hurried twitters of more birds start and stop and fade into a decrescendo with distance as the singers fly away to their roosts for the evening.
Young Spots
Counting Arthropods in a Patch of Daisy Fleabane
On a sunny summer morning I spent well over an hour examining a patch of daisy fleabane, a weedy plant that stands at about four feet tall and is topped with small white flowers that are daisy-like with fringed petals surrounding a yellow center. I was at this flower patch for the purpose of counting arthropods.
Plein Air: Evening Primrose
Trees of Tree Frogs
The Singing Toad
Global Big Day 2022
Welcoming the Queens
Three Simple Green Art-Making Practices
Being environmentally friendly is a matter of great importance to me, and it is a matter that affects my daily decisions. Naturally, this interest has colored my artistic endeavors. The following three green practices that I employ when I work on any art project are not difficult to implement. Boiled down, they involve being mindful of consumption and avoiding excessive waste.
A Sunny Moment for a Turtle
The pond was still and cold. Its dark hue reflected surrounding trees and shrubbery yet to turn green. Ends and angles of sticks and logs protruded from the water’s surface. On one of those logs was a round shape, an irregularity among the flat water and squiggles of wood. But it was not quite an irregularity after all.
Plein Air: Beach Finds
Patience
As an artist, I spend a lot of time putting pencil marks and brush strokes onto paper and canvas as I create artworks. Hours, days, weeks, and months easily roll by. So much work needs to take place between drawing an initial sketch and calling an artwork “finished.” The stopping point is often undefined and located at the end of a very distant horizon.
The Snowy Owl at the Harbor
On the south side of Chicago, I walked across snow-covered sand on an icy lakeshore. The ice that had formed where water met beach lowly creaked as water moved underneath it. The winter day was cold, but, thankfully, there was a lack of wind whose harshness would have only been magnified by traveling across Lake Michigan.
