Foggy Morning at Plat I

A plein aire painting done at a little reservoir near here. I sketched the cormorants first, and then when the fog started to lift I had the opportunity to paint while my husband photographed.

Here are my notes: "Damp. Chilly. Greyness fills the valley. Snags on the far side of the pond are so pale, I can’t see if any eagles are perched there today. The water lies still, repeating every bird on its surface. Sounds carry through the fog, bringing me more birds than those I can see. Above me rides the sun, a faint glow in the grayness. I can see the dark forms of cormorants resting on a spit, great blue herons fishing, and some ducks."

For me this is sketching in nature at its very best ... capturing the mood of the moment; saving the memory for the future.

For more about that very busy day/week go to my blog:
www.elvafieldnotes.blogspot.com

Goldfinches!

We have a LOT of American goldfinches at the shed this year.  I've never had the opportunity to see so many, so close, and it's interested to see them in mid-moult, from winter colors toward spring. 

In a month or so, this little guy will be bright yellow in the places he now shows an olive-y brown, and he'll wear a jaunty black cap that's just now coming in, a few feathers at a time.

They're amazingly bold little birds, taking over the feeders and refusing to give ground, fussing among themselves, and staying put when I go in and out.  Very much UNlike the chickadees, which seem to travel mostly alone, and do a quick snatch-and-run!

Blackbirds

I came across these studies of a baby blackbird I raised last year, and thought I'd share them. This is the perfect age to use chicks as models. At this stage, they perch and remain still for long periods of time, waiting to be fed, happy to be near you.
It is an Old World blackbird, belonging to the genus Turdus - a Turdus merula - unrelated to the American blackbirds. They are quite common in urban gardens, and given the chaos of urban life, plenty of chicks get separated from their parents in the spring.
I used watersoluble graphite pencils; they are a great tool, allowing for fast, flowing lines. I filled in the form using a water brush once the sketch was done.

Barbara Bacci

found on my walk

(62) found on my walk, a photo by vickylw on Flickr.

At first I thought I was looking at a strange rock . . . . then realized it had wood grains. So I picked it up and continued to walk my dog. A couple blocks later, I found another one. Neither one near any tree.

ink and watercolor wash on Niddigan paper

Bits and pieces...

I'm still a big kid...I'm fascinated by small things, close up, nose-to-nose--if a branch HAD a nose...

This branch blew down in our recent winds--I knew the woodpeckers had been active, but I didn't realize HOW active till I was able to see this up close...and lots of ear fungus along the branch, too.

Wood ear, tree ear, jelly ear--whatever you call this dark brown fungus, it apparently grows
almost worldwide, and is considered edible, in some areas.  (It's an ingredient in traditional moo shu pork.)  I'm big on wild foods--even wrote a cookbook about it when dinosaurs roamed the earth--but I have to admit these have never made it to my dinner plate.  They're kind of cold and clammy and just not that appetizing...anyone tried 'em?

And I couldn't resist sketching the bittersweet that came down from the highest branches at the same time...my mom used to love these bits of natural beauty, and I must have inherited it from her.  My usual source of bittersweet is gone now; the fencerow where it grew every year has been bulldozed away, so I was delighted by this gift of the wind.

The birds have been enjoying the berries, as well...only one left on this little sprig!

Great birding day! (Paula)

Hope you can read the text on this page. I had to do the journal/sketch entry after I got home but I wanted to capture the adventure. The hawks below are a compilation of some of the 14 I spotted:

Winter Aconites

The little yellow Winter Aconites are in bloom. It has been the most extraordinary winter, here in southern Ontario. We have had hardly any snow, perhaps six inches altogether. Right now the ground is not frozen at all! Not frozen? In early February? we were out today gardening- pruning off the old hydrangeas that didn’t get done last fall and cutting back the stalks in the perennial garden: we leave those on for the winter to give texture to the garden. The snowdrops and aconites appear together. The earliest I have ever seen either of those previously has been the very end of February,usually mid-March. It is quite astonishing. The hellebores are thrusting up their fat rosy buds, and the rhododendrons, usually struggling to survive around now, are looking quite contented, also with a profusion of big buds.
I must admit that I did not paint this sketch ‘en plein air’. Even though it is 7ºC today, and sunny, I wouldn’t be able to sit out that long; can’t take the cold like I used to. So I took a couple of reference photos and spent a pleasant interlude in my studio.

Snow, snow, snow!! from Italy

Snow, snow, snow (-7-8°C), this is a sketch of the guests (including cats!) in our manger. The Robin is the more curious and intimate, the acrobatic and frenzied Great tit and numerous finches squabbling!