Winter finches are always a welcome sight. After all the migrants trail off, it’s nice to see old friends at the feeders. Pine Siskins are fairly reliable. We get them at the feeders every year, though the quantity tends to vary dramatically. A finch … Continued
The sleek, fine feathering of Cedar Waxwings makes for a good challenge in watercolor. When picking out what to paint next, I usually try to choose things I’ve not done before. Breaking new ground keeps things fresh and offers new challenges. … Continued
This is a bit of a change in media for me. I haven’t done a pen-and-ink drawing in over 20 years! I was cleaning up my flat files, going through old paintings and sketches when I came across a piece … Continued
It’s been over a month since I posted. I’ve been insanely busy with medical illustration and animation work, which is good, since my freelance work tends to be “Feast or Famine.” Plus, it was peak season for mountain biking. This blog is … Continued
This treehopper is an impressive thorn mimic. A few years ago I saw a set of thorns on the redbud and thought, “Wait a minute… that shouldn’t have thorns.” Sure enough, it was a cluster of thorn mimics. They are great … Continued
Yes, it is a watercolor painting of a spider. Sorry if you’re not a fan, but I really like jumping spiders and enjoy photographing, drawing and painting them. These interesting little guys are ambush predators, pouncing on their prey much like a … Continued
Golden-crowned Kinglets are powerfully cute, so this transparent watercolor painting was great fun to complete. In our house family members tend to get distracted by birds in the yard. That is a hazard—and benefit—of homeschooling the kids. It’s also probably one reason why our … Continued
This is a 7 x 10-inch transparent watercolor painting of a Pine Siskin on Arches 140lb hot pressed paper. I’ve had this sketch sitting around for a while and thought it would be fun to paint. I’ve always loved Pine … Continued
When I was staring out as a birder, I’d get confused between Downy Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers. At first peek they sure look alike. I think they were problematic for a few reasons. First, let’s be honest, the names stink … Continued
After taking a break from doing these incredibly complex paintings for about 20 years, I did two back-to-back. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea, as this one took just shy of 100 hours! I could’ve completed about seven of my typical paintings … Continued