A Field of Lanceleaf Coreopsis

These wonderfully yellow wildflowers filled this field.  Such a delight to paint!

A Lowcountry SC afternoon

Enjoyed a lovely, unusually warm afternoon at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge a couple of weeks ago. 

Sketching at the Beach

click to enlarge

I recently won a Stillman & Birn hardbound Beta Series journal with 180# paper and have decided to dedicate it to water related images.

The paper is sized and I'm enjoying how watercolors lay on the surface - almost like hot press paper. There is a little bit of tooth to the surface but the Micron 01 pen still glides along.

I'm one happy camper :)

A Garden Sketch

Yesterday, at lunch, the Spring Island Landscape Ecologist, whom I share office space with, asked me if I'd like to see one of our resident's garden.... I grabbed my sketch bag before he even finished his sentence :) 

We were only there for 30 minutes,  20 of which I painted like a mad woman :)  Once back at the office, I added the lettering and little Otto.

I hope to return back to this garden in a few weeks.  Autumn is a splendid time for blooming wildflowers and Ann's garden is loaded with native wildflowers.  She has one small butterfly garden area that contains some non-natives... thus the Mexican Cosmos.. but otherwise it's filled with wonderful grasses and every type of wildflower you can imagine.

This is one of the gardens that Spring Island's Native Plant Project features for garden club tours. 

Our next Native Plant Sale is October 20th.  If you are in the lowcountry area of South Carolina, do stop by.  The island is open to the public that day!

A Summer Day in South Carolina

Oh, la, la. Perfect weather for plein air work. Had to wonder if I was really in the lowcountry of South Carolina enjoying this August day with no humidity!?!

August Wildflowers

Not really painting in nature when I'm in the comfort of air conditioning but, definitely painting from nature :)

The wildflower garden at work takes my breath every time I pass by. I'm torn to stop and paint but... you know how it goes... getting paid to do other things than paint :)

I couldn't stand it anymore and picked a couple of sprigs of Brown-eyed Susan and Ironweed. I brought them back to my office and  for the last two days, my lunch break has been filled with watercolor sketching.  So refreshing!  Now I'm ready to tackle the brochure design project for our upcoming season of events :)

The Crescent Moon, Earthshine and Venus

Earthshine?

Best seen during Crescent Moon phases (the one to five day period before or after a New Moon), Earthshine is caused by direct sunlight on the earth that reflects onto the Moon which creates the smoky glow of the shadowed portion of the moon.

Click on the Earthshine link above for great information from NASA including these goodies:
Scientists in recent years have found that Earthshine is most intense during the northern spring months of April and May.  I could only see a milky glow even through binoculars.  But during the spring, you'll be able to see the Moon's features :)

Leonardo Di Vinci explained this phenomenon nearly 500 years ago!

This sketch by Leonardo is part of the Codex Leicester, written by Da Vinci between 1506 and 1510!  Oh, the mind this Renaissance artist had. Leonardo's journals and notes show what an "unquenchable curiosity" and "feverishly inventive imagination" he possessed.

After sunset tonight, take a peek at the sky to see Venus, the Crescent Moon and Earthshine for your very own. Venus will be to the lower left tonight.  Happy viewing and hopefully painting!!

Rookery Visit - Pam Johnson Brickell

Ever since I saw my first Wood Stork I've wanted to observe, sketch and photograph them throughout their nesting cycle.

This year I got my wish :)

For the first time ever recorded, Wood Storks chose to nest on Spring Island! Yeah! They're relatively close by and I have access!

My first trip to check out the rookery was back in June. I saw a few hatchlings and some Storks were still sitting on eggs.

click to enlarge

I had just purchased a Platinum brush pen from JetPens and tried it out in my Aqua Bee sketchbook.

Yesterday, Rob and I arrived at the rookery around 8:30 a.m. The day promised to be steamy. We walked past black vultures that were standing on the ground.  We were ho hums to them. That's what I love about Spring Island. Wildlife is revered there and everything/one lives in harmony. The rookery was teaming with activity. Snowy egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Great Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Anhinga and Wood Storks were in the trees. Most of the sounds, or should I say the loudest, came from the juvi Wood Storks. Music to my ears :)

During my June visit, I sat close to a sand trap and suffered many a red ant bite. This time I set up my chair and scope well away from from the sand. I dowsed my self in sunscreen proir to leaving the house and now bug spray. Yuck, but necessary.

Here are my on-location sketches. The ants found me anyway and they paid no attention to bug spray! I was so warm I kept fogging up the eyepiece of my scope. I managed to get a few good digi-scope images early on.
Not real sharp but good enough for my reference purposes. I used the begging juvi to fill a spot on the right side of the journal page.

If you look real close at the photo you will notice a juvi with it's beak
pointed straight up to the adult's head. The beak blends with the dead tree.

Unexpected find

The other morning, after a pleasant walk about Howarth Park, a city park in Santa Rosa CA, I was surprised to come across a turtle laying her eggs in a picnic area a bit of a distance on turtle legs from the lake that's the heart of this park. She had created a patch of mud by digging with her hind legs and, apparently, producing a lot of liquid. She blended well into her surroundings. When I stopped to make some sketches a crowd of humans gathered around, most wondering if she was my pet. I worked quickly and left so that she could go on about her business in private. I added the color later, at home.

If you had a pet turtle when you were a child you might recognize the Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), the most popular pet turtle in the world. The one I spotted was a bit bigger than the turtle I had when I was very young, with a shell that was about 10 inches ( 25.4cm) long. In northern California Red-eared sliders, natives of the American southeast, are easily spotted basking on logs and rocks in lakes and ponds, often alongside our only native freshwater turtle, the Western pond turtle (Clemmys marmorata).

If raccoons, rats, humans or other predators don’t disturb the nest which, by the way, is now nearly invisible, the eggs will hatch in 60 to 90 days and the hatchlings will try to make their way to the lake. If they make it that far birds, bullfrogs, fish and humans all threaten their survival.

References:
Wikipedia

Full Strawberry Moon • 6.15.2011

Full Strawberry Moon • 6.15.2011, a photo by PJBee on Flickr.

I love when the high tide and a full moon coincide.

One more journal page of this event at Artist's Journal Workshop blog and the full story on my blog.

May's Full Flower Moon - Pam Johnson Brickell

On the eve of May's full moon, Rob and I were walking the dogs along holes 17 and 18 of the neighborhood golf course when the moon rose above the tree line.  It was so lovely with the reflection on the small pond that runs between the 17th fairway and 18th tee. I decided this is where I wanted to  paint the full moon.

Now, I know the moon rises later each night but somehow didn't think it would be pitch black when it did!  We arrived around 8 pm. I sketched the glow from the sunset.  We waited and waited. I took the golf cart back to the house to get my flashlight. Still no moon.  Finally we saw it peeking from behind the trees. In my boredom I had started to paint the foreground, but in reality when the moon came up the only brightness in the landscape was the reflection on the water, the sky and the clouds around the moon.

Rob was able to capture me painting while holding the flash light.  I'm always amazed at my little camera and what it can pull off :)

Here's what I got done before the bugs got too hungry.

I'm working with watercolor paper that I've cut down to 7.5 x 11 inches and folded these sheets in half. One of these days I need to bind the pages together.

The sunset sketch is on Fabriano HP and the full moon is on Fabriano soft press.  I like lettering on the HP surface the best so I kept that side free for the moon's name.

All of our spring flowers have long since bloomed but I thought the traditional full moon name was appropriate with the Southern Magnolias blooming in all their glory.  I finished off the pages yesterday, adding the magnolia blossom and lettering.

Azalea Time - Pam Johnson Brickell

Azalea Time, a photo by PJBee on Flickr.

Oh the colors of Spring. The Azaleas are popping out all over the place.
Today Rob and I went to Hilton Head National Golf Course. He to practice, me to paint. Time well spent by both of us :)

Redbud! ~ Pam Johnson Brickell

 

I so love Redbuds. Last fall I sketched this tree. It's leaves were so orange that I assumed it was a Crepe Myrtle. What a surprise to find it's really a Redbud!





 










                                                            
                                                                                                            Redbud! a photo by PJBee on Flickr.

12.21.2010 A Celestial Event! - Pam Johnson Brickell

12.21.2010 A Celestial Event!
Originally uploaded by PJBee

I was soooo excited to sketch this event! A few clouds at first, but then by 2:30 am the sky cleared. I worked on two pages from 2 am - 3:15. The watercolors seemed to take forever to dry. The paint got a wee bit thick thanks to the cool temp of 37 degrees.

The rest of the story here.

Lowcountry Color - Pam Johnson Brickell

11.15.10 What Wonderful Weather!!
Originally uploaded by PJBee

We get splashes of autumn color here in the SC Lowcountry. We have so many trees that remain green all year that it's wonderful to see vibrant colors. As a New Englander, I'm spoiled when it comes to autumn color.

I've learned to watch carefully for our limited color here. Limited yes, every bit as vibrant as New England.... yes!

Almost forgot.... it was 73 degrees :) 'Tis why we live here :) 

Chechessee Creek Marsh - Pam Johnson Brickell

Chechessee Creek Marsh
Originally uploaded by PJBee

This is a view from Spring Island's north end. I deleted utility lines that run near the top marsh grass and Rt 170 traffic that runs along the treeline. I love not being a camera :)

Autunm in the Low Country - Pam Johnson Brickell

Halloween 2010
Originally uploaded by PJBee

High noon on the May River, Bluffton, SC. Looking toward Palmetto Bluff.

The marsh is singing it's autumn song.

Harvest Moon and Autumnal Equinox II - Pam Johnson Brickell

Ofttimes, when I choose a subject or specimen to paint in my journal, the journey to the completed page takes many roads. Journal...... journey....
Hmmmmmm. Kind of goes hand in hand, don't you think?

I wanted to paint this unique Harvest Moon at a very special location. Spring Island immediately came to mind.
It's a 3000 acre nature preserve and residential community in the heart of the SC low country.

I'm very partial to this little piece of heaven on earth. I first visited the island, in 2007, as a visiting artist, teaching nature journaling. It is also where I studied to be a SC Master Naturalist. In 2009 I was fortunate to be invited back to conduct a second workshop. This past spring, I was asked and became the Spring Island Trust's Visiting Artists Program Coordinator. Pinch me, I think I'm in heaven :) We are entering the busy season for events - thus my blog postings aren't as numerous.  Somehow, as you age, the days get shorter and shorter :)

The above scene is the view from the 18th fairway. Rob and I were wondering if the clouds were going to break open enough to view the moon's rise. It was a lovely evening. The long shadows were sliding over the marsh grass. A sailboat was out on the Chechessee River heading toward Port Royal Sound. Clouds were turning this amazing shade of orange! And, flocks and flocks of White Ibis and quite a few Wood Storks flew over, heading to the Island's rookery.

As sunsets do, all the colors in the sky disappeared and boom, the Harvest Moon in all its glory peeked out! There were soooo many clouds moving quickly that I decided to do three vignettes - all in 8 minutes! 

Sketching was cut short as the sprinklers on the fairway were starting to cycle.  Fortunately, at that moment, not near us! We decided to move farther into the waste bunker - surely they wouldn't water there.....  I dropped my paint tin, upside     down,   in   the    sand.  Thank goodness, no sand collected in the colors I was using :)

I love it when Rob is with me on these outings.  He's the photographer in the family.  RIT graduate with a photo science degree - and he still remembers all the technical stuff!  Oh, to have half of his memory capacity :) At first, he felt a tad encumbered with my totally automatic camera. He'd much rather have his larger SLR and big lens, set on manual no less! He made it work and I've got some great reference shots to finish these sketches with.

At 7:45 p.m. the mosquitoes were about to fly away with us.  No bites, the bug spray was holding, but our arms were very busy swishing them away from our faces. An evening well spent. Journaling always makes me feel like I've been away on a vacation. Refreshed once again :)

I first learned this year's Harvest Moon and Autumnal Equinox were to coincide a couple of weeks ago. Wow! How special and what a treat for my Full Moon Series! Here are links to some very interesting information.

• Astronomer Ed Murphy from UVa discusses the Autumanl Equinox and how leap days came into being.

• EarthSky.Org

• Wikipedia - Equinox info

• Christian Science Monitor  article about moon on fall equinox

• Seasons & Dates for 2010

• Sun and Moon rise/set dates

Beautyberry Clipping - Pam Johnson Brickell

Beautyberry Clipping
Originally uploaded by PJBee

My favorite fall berry bush. This is a watercolor sketch (no pencil) made in the comfort of my studio. Yeah! no mosquitoes, only ants that were on the clippings.... Luckily they didn't bite!

You can read more here: www.creatingnaturejournals.com

Full Sturgeon Moon - Pam Johnson Brickell

Full Sturgeon Moon
Originally uploaded by PJBee

Lots of names for this full moon! My own is Moon of Many Bugs! This is a real quick wc sketch - perhaps 10 minutes. Between the wee bugs attracted to the book light and the mosquitoes that were licking the bug spray then biting....... I finished up the written word today in the comfort of my studio :)

More blogged here at www.creatingnaturejournals.com