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
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
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
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.
Dark-eyed Juncos make these long Michigan winters seem to go by a tiny bit faster. I grew up in Western New York where we had these friendly birds year round. Here in mid-Michigan they disappear in the spring and return … Continued
I have a lot of mixed feelings about Blue Jays. They are undeniably beautiful and intelligent birds, but they have a lot of ugly behaviors. Maybe that big brain just causes too much trouble? Blue Jays can empty a feeder … Continued
Like the last post, I got photos of this American Robin in the backyard in the early spring. This poor guy was really unhappy with the snowfall and cold snap that settled in. I put out some mealworms to cheer … Continued