Journal - Goose Creek State Park

Journal - Goose Creek State Park - Lots of rain..this is the view from our RV site and  kitchen window across the field toward the cottages and bathhouse ...

 

FLOODED WOODS

Winter sunshine is so welcome and this vignette seen in the woods last Saturday caught my eye and became the inspiration for a piece of textile art.

I've written a complete blog about how I put the picture together so do go and have a look at   

https://valeriejaneg.blogspot.com

 

Journal - Mushrooms

Journal - After the Rain - Mushrooms. With all the rain we've had, the mushrooms in our sideyard are have a heyday .... Here are a few...

 

WILD AUTUMN FRUITS

I seem to have neglected this site for a few months so here is one of the sketches from my current nature sketchbook, coloured pencil drawings of some twigs gathered on our walk down the lane.

Have you noticed that they all have the same word ending?

 

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in October--Vickie Henderson

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are striking birds, especially the males with their black and white markings mixed with a splash of rose on their breasts.  They visit Tennessee mostly during migration in both spring and fall. The exciting thing about fall is the juveniles are still changing their "paint".  

Like birdy watercolors, each one is unique as their feathers morph from juvenile brown to the brightly colored markings of an adult.  Not a single two of them are alike!  The sketch above was created after observing my feeders for about an hour on my porch.  In the rain!  Full of fun surprises, including a shy juvenile grosbeak.  Being still in nature observing brings so much wonder and inspiration. Naturally that makes me want to sketch and paint!

Visit my blog post:  Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Red-breasted Nuthatches and a Hairy Woodpecker at Vickie Henderson Art.  

Revisiting Alaska with Sketches--Vickie Henderson

I recently revisited my photos of Alaska, from a visit in 2012, in particular, my images of the Denali Park grizzly bears.  What a delightful journey back in time.  Looking through the images brought back almost as much awe as I remember feeling when I first viewed it in person.

This was my first sketch, a bear pausing as it foraged for autumn berries.  Autumn in the park was well underway in the tundra the last week of August.  Brought back exciting memories as this was my first experience in the tundra and watching these incredible bears!
Visit my blog post at Vickie's Sketchbook to learn more about this sketching experience.

 

A drawing commissioned for a bird lover turning 85. Three of his favourite birds are positioned around the number 85. The drawing was framed and small copies were used as invitation cards for his birthday celebration. 

I enjoyed the challenge of combining numbers with birds. The number 85 is suggested as wood and I positioned the birds in harmony with the shape of the number. Collared doves live mostly in trees, I therefore placed this bird higher up. Lapwings (left) and oyster catchers (right) are meadow birds. They are elegant birds and it is always a joy to spot them foraging or breeding in meadows.

Notice how the bill of the dove resembles the shape of number five flag. The lapwing on the left and the black-white oyster catcher both stand with their legs on both sides of the number, as if they hold the 85 in position. Both chests of the birds follow the curve of the number five and eight, in case of the lapwing, it takes over the curve of the eight. The dove stands proudly on number five.

Paula Kuitenbrouwer

at Etsy & @mindfuldrawing on Instagram
Netherlands