Well, you can’t accuse me of selling out. While I love jumping spiders, I can’t imagine there is a huge market for detailed watercolors of them. Maybe I’ll be proved wrong. For a while frogs and toads were among my … Continued
As the cold weather gets ready arrive in mid-Michigan I’ve been trying to photograph the last of the insects and spiders. I found these two fascinating specimens in our garden. Both are true bugs of the order Hemiptera. Hemipteran insects … Continued
This is a pencil sketch of a Spur-winged Plover (Vanellus spinosus) from the Toledo Zoo. They are also sometimes called Spur-winged Lapwings. They get their name from a claw-like spur hidden under each wing. The birds are common in sub-Saharan … Continued
Page 50. I’m now halfway through my hard bound sketchbook without any major artistic disasters! The pressure is on to have a strong finish in the second half. The cover and binding of the sketchbook is starting to get pretty … Continued
Over the past few years I’ve become more and more interested in jumping spiders. It is a real challenge to photograph them in order to get drawing and painting references. Sometimes I photograph them in the field, and other times … Continued
I’m finally trying to get through a big backlog of sketches that I haven’t posted. It has been a busy Spring and Summer! Pine siskins are great little birds. The past few years we have had many of them … Continued
Crab spiders are interesting to observe. They are a bit unusual when compared to the orb weaving spiders that people are most familiar with. Crab spiders are ambush hunters, relying on stealth rather than trapping prey in webs. Typically they … Continued
Summer is here, so I’m getting as much photo reference for future paintings as I can. I found a cooperative Tan Jumper and female Dimorphic Jumper today and set up the all the photo gear. There were all taken with … Continued
May is a great time to get all your migrant birds. Once June and July roll around there is a bit of a let-down when everything flies past. At that point I usually start looking for nests around the yard … Continued
The Common Ground Dove isn’t a bird that I’ve been around my whole life. I’ve only encountered them while on trips to Florida. I really enjoy these beautiful little birds. This particular one was sitting on the dikes between flooded areas at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island.