A beautiful fence - Maree

“Good farmers, who take seriously their duties as stewards of Creation and of their land's inheritors, contribute to the welfare of society in more ways than society usually acknowledges, or even knows. These farmers produce valuable goods, of course; but they also conserve soil, they conserve water, they conserve wildlife, they conserve open space, they conserve scenery.”
― Wendell Berry, Bringing it to the Table: Writings on Farming and Food  

Ink sketch and colour wash in Moleskine watercolour sketchbook.

Last month, on a public holiday, I took a drive with my husband to a customer's farm to go and have a look at a classic car the gentleman was selling and thank goodness we were in my husband's 4x4, the road was atrocious! 

I've got a thing about rickety old fences and asked hubby to stop so I could do a quick sketch. I added the colour once we were home again. The day was fruitless as far as buying anything was concerned but I was entranced by the natural beauty of his farm and managed to get in quite a few sketches while the men were talking cars.

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No rain yet... - Maree

Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams. 

- Ashley Smith 

 Ink sketch and colour wash of a scene in Magaliesburg in my Moleskine Nature sketchbook

It's the first of October, heading for mid-summer here in South Africa and we've had no rain yet. Normally we have the winds in August clearing up old growth and our first spring rains early in September, but the wind has been blowing right through September, seemingly blowing the clouds back to whence they came from.

I'm having to water my garden every day, we've had some very high temperatures, but nothing seems to give life like even just a couple of millimetres of rain...

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Shoreline Weeds

Shoreline Weeds, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

A few weeks ago I was down at the lakefront and saw these dried milkweed shells. For some reason they always fascinate me.

Fun sketch with ink on handmade paper. Love the background this paper gives the art.

Tree And Road Runner

While my husband was hitting golf balls I was sketching this interesting tree when a Road Runner bird popped into the scene.  I added him to the sketch but didn't leave enough room so I used a reference for a better sketch.

The Road Runner seems to be everywhere in Arizona and always fun to see as it runs. It has long legs and long tail and always seems to run rather than fly. Many of you may remember seeing the cartoon road runner...'beep, beep'.

Oranges On The Tree Branch

Oranges On The Tree Branch, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

This is the view right outside our door.
Done in ink with watercolor for the oranges on handmade paper. That paper with all its inclusions is so perfect for this kind of sketch.
I chose to do just a branch as it comes up from the trunk. And just had to write a haiku.
Delicious oranges!

Ice On The Rocky Shore

Ice On The Rocky Shore, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

We took a walk down to lake and found the shoreline rocks covered with ice. So pretty that I had to sketch it. One thing about a cold winter is the different scenery that ice and snow create.

Ice Covered Weeds

Ice Covered Weeds, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

I went for a walk this am.

It was sunny and 25 degrees.

I took a long walk and went by the lakeshore and saw a bunch of weeds covered in ice. Yesterday was windy so the water must have blown up on the shore, covered the weeds and froze creating a striking image.

So I went home and painted it.

Under The Bird Feeder

Under The Bird Feeder, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

This squirrel was so busy eating seeds under the feeder that it was easy to sketch him out the window.

Susie Seeds

Susie Seeds, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

These (I think) Pine Siskins love hanging on the dried Black-eyed Susies and gorging on the seeds. You can tell I stood in the window and sketched these cuties.

I think they are Pine Siskins because of their dark markings whereas the Goldfinches don't have them (although they love these seeds also). Also have been seeing lots of White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches and the little Juncos which I call 'Snowbirds'.

Winter certainly brings the birds to the feeders. I bought 50# of sunflower seeds so we can enjoy the birds more.

I love the way the birds blend in with the natural setting.

Wild Autumn Berries

Wild Autumn Berries, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

I found this branch of wild berries along the roadside. I have no idea what they are called but they looked pretty hanging in among this low-growing shrub that is now mostly just branches and berries.
Thanks to a friend on Facebook who identified them as bittersweet.  I googled it and thats what they are.

Milkweed In Bloom

Milkweed In Bloom, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

I walked down by the lake with sketchbook in hand and these 'blooming' milkweeds greeted me.
Small, fast and fun.

Small Treasures Of Nature

Small Treasures Of Nature, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

I love how these small green plants find a place to grow like between some big rocks on the way to the lake.

Cattails In The Reeds

Cattails In The Reeds, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

Right next to Hardwood Range (from yesterday) I found a stand of cattails in amongst the reeds. Sketched them and wrote a haiku:
Hiding in the reeds
Announcing autumn is near
It's cattail time

Wild Turkeys Came For Dinner

Wild Turkeys Came For Dinner, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

We have hardly seen any turkeys this summer and suddenly they discovered our bird bath and bird feeder leftovers. They look so funny when they scratch the ground for more seeds and then run like crazy when something scares them...like us peeking out the window.
I had to research what a bunch of turkeys was called. 'Gang' sure fits.

A Mole, The Animal

A Mole, The Animal, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

I was taking a walk and saw this mole doing such a strange thing. He was going in circles on the side of the road. I stood and watched him until he scurried off into the grass.
Moles are usually digging tunnels underground (and usually in our lawn).
So I captured it in my journal.
I love being in the right place at the right time.

Minnesota Island

Minnesota Island, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

When I first saw this island with the lake and trees in the background I knew I wanted to paint it, and I did, but it doesn't come close to the look I achieved with ink on gray paper.
Nature is so beautiful!

I really love the way ink and white ink look on gray paper.

Baby Bluebird Grown Up

Baby Bluebird Grown Up, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

When I see this bluebird on top of the hummingbird feeder pole, I like to think it is the baby I saved a few weeks ago.
The feeder pole sits in front of the window so I see him occasionally sitting there looking for food.

Baby Sunflowers

Baby Sunflowers, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

My neighbor's small patch of sunflowers are still in the 'baby' stage.
And the bees are loving them.

Early Early Autumn Treasures

Early Early Autumn Treasures, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

I found these early autumn treasures while walking and decided they would make a nice subject. The leaf and acorns are from an oak tree; some acorns are capped and some caps are empty. Many of our oak trees are suffering from oak blight so it was good to find these.

Wild Mushrooms

Wild Mushrooms, a photo by Teri DC on Flickr.

I found these wild mushrooms under some bushes and their artistic nature called to me. I don't know their name but I know they are not edible but they are sure a thing of beauty in nature.