I did this painting a while back. It’s based on photos taken at the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan. Aside from being unbelievably beautiful, cotton-top tamarins are interesting animals. These tiny primates have highly developed communication skills and exhibit … Continued
This is an older painting, probably from 2002. I still remember sketching this stuffed specimen in the Royal Ontario Museum. My wife had a conference in Toronto, so I tagged along and spent three full days drawing at the ROM. … Continued
Summer is a great time for dragonflies, damselflies and painting! In my opinion insects really lend themselves well to the small 5×7-inch format. A few years ago I had a lot of fun painting several Odes, the nickname for Odonata, which is the … Continued
My wife’s favorite warbler is the Blackburnian. Its hard not to be won over by the beautiful “fire throat.” I’m looking forward to seeing some this spring!
Around our house we call this painting the “Birch Perch.” This one has a bit of a history. I like the painting, but every time I look at it I feel a little sick to my stomach. Why? Here’s the “Readers Digest” version of … Continued
Here are a pair of paintings from early 1997. I did the Little Bee Eaters as a wedding gift for my friend Mike. The Carmine Bee Eaters were an engagement gift for my (now) wife, Liesl. They were based … Continued
This small watercolor of a male Bay-breasted Warbler is from around 1998 or 1999. I did the painting based on photos of a cooperative male in Magee Marsh at Crane Creek, Ohio. Original painting is available here.
This painting was especially fun to work on. I took numerous photos of Bearded Barbets at the Toledo Zoo. Images taken in zoos have their limits. Often the backgrounds leave a lot to be desired. After a lot of research, … Continued
I thought I’d compile all the illustrations of extinct or presumed extinct birds that I did a while back on one page. It is very sad to think they are all gone forever.
This painting was from 1999-2000. Anhingas are interesting birds. At times they are really attractive, but occasionally they seem rather awkward. This female anhinga has some molting feathers on her head. They have a few nicknames including Water Turkeys and Snake-birds. When hunting … Continued