Stellar

This is another painting in my body of work called, "Backyard birds". These Stellar Jays live in the foothills above our home and often visit our yard. They are both beautiful and bold.

Mourning Dove

Some of you know that I have been compiling a body of work, inspired by a granddaughter, about the little birds we see in our backyard from time to time ... this is my latest addition to this group. Some of our grandkidlings think they can hear an owl "hooting" when they are actually hearing the eery call of the Mourning Dove. These delicate birds frequent our area in the fall, and fill the air with their "sad" cries. I enjoyed learning to paint the thicket of limbs and how to create the depth of field in the background, as well as the dove itself.

Woody

Every spring, this little guy returns to our yard and makes his presence known by rattling every tree with a bug in it! He is relentless in his efforts and is fun to watch. This is my latest installment to my "Backyard Birds" body of work. Acrylic on canvas 12"x12"

Yellowstone in May

Last month, Maureen and I were able to spend some time with our son and his family in Yellowstone. As it turned out, the weather was cold and snowy ... however, the silver lining was that we didn't have to contend with the normal "summer" crowds, and we able to see many unique and beautiful sites and animals that we would not have otherwise seen. I sketched or painted these three pieces during our trip. (Thanks to Kris and Stephanie, I have many more reference photos to paint in the coming months as well!).

The first is of Tower Falls, a stunning waterfall near the Roosevelt Towers. This is not the well known waterfall in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, but a hidden gem in the heart of the park.The second painting depicts an eagle we saw just taking off along the shore of Jackson Lake. The third piece represents the many Canandian geese we saw with their newly hatched broods of gosslings.

All in all, we had a wonderful trip! I'll get cranking on some future additions to this body of work! Enjoy ...

Tower Falls

Lift off

Canadian Care