This was the hardest painting I’ve done in years. It wasn’t big. It wasn’t complicated. It was brutal. Our dog Archie died out of the blue right before Christmas. I started this painting shortly after he died. I’m a huge … Continued
This summer I gave myself a goal of getting some good macro photos for drawing and painting reference. Last year I concentrated on dragonflies and damselflies. This time around I was especially interested in spiders. I spent a few days … Continued
I get a huge kick out of pelicans. They certainly look like they were designed by a committee. They have a huge floating boat of a body, topped off by an ungainly, massive head and net-like bill. Somehow they manage … Continued
The Northern Cardinal is a fantastic bird. The sight of this brilliant bird on a snowy day is always a welcome sight. That rich red against the stark white of the snow really makes the eyeballs happy. Their beautiful colors … Continued
My mother has a real love of nature and animals. She was not one to frivolously shop. However, once when I was a teenager she came home with a something unusual. She opened up a box and showed us her … Continued
I’ve always been interested in insects and spiders, but being small they are very hard to draw from life. Another option is to use dead specimens under a scope, which loses all of the magic of a heathy specimen. Getting … Continued
We get White-breasted Nuthatches year round here in Michigan. They are energetic little birds with just the right amount of attitude. A five year old was watching me draw while I was waiting for my kids at karate. I asked … Continued
Most sparrows don’t seem very dramatic at first glance. From a distance the majority seem to be generic little brown-gray birds. With time and a nice set of binoculars, the sparrows really come to life. You get to appreciate how … Continued
Harvestmen are an interesting creatures. Growing up we always called them daddy longlegs. The scientists call them Opiliones. Although they are arachnids, they are not spiders, despite sharing many superficial characteristics. Both have eight legs and two body segments. In … Continued
