Maine, USA

Leave a reply

Here is a trip I’ve been planning since the beginning of the year.  Acadia Park in Maine.

After reading up on things I don’t want to miss, I found out there are puffin tours!  Puffins are a type of ‘auk’ bird with bright beaks during mating season.  Near Acadia, there is only one company that has access to an island where you can see lots of them in season.  I checked in January, and they were booked for all of 2018!!  This is because there are limits to the number of visits allowed on the island.  I asked to be added to a cancellation list, and lucky me, I am signed up for a trip to Puffin Island!  (That’s not the real name!)

There is always the chance that weather may cancel that day’s trip, so I’m trying to stay calm (hah!) and not be too disappointed if it is.  If you’ve been following me, this anticipation is similar to my Moroccan ‘goats in trees’ and my Zambian elephants. For me, it’s so very hard to contain the excitement of a dream come true! ?

So here is a small sketch to preview this trip. I hope you follow along and enjoy this voyage through my sketches!  Maine map

Great horned owlet

2 Replies

I follow our local Chenango Valley State Park on FB, and they recently posted a photo of a great horned owl and baby owlet. I’ve already gone there several times to check out the eagles, which are supposed to have an egg hatched recently.  So it wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ I was going to see the owls, but when!

Last Saturday, I got ther early, by 10am.  I went first to see the eagles nest, and met a runner who also stopped to look at the nest. I asked her if she knew where the owls were, and she did not.

So I took a walk, and on my return, I ran into a birder.  How could I tell? It would be the big binoculars and the cap that had a black bird and the words “RAVEN LUNATIC”. Easy to spot!  She gave me a detailed description of how to find the owls, and off I went.  Funny thing, on my way, the runner came back to find me, because she had also found the owls!  Raven lunatic cap

They were just sitting on a branch, the owlet covered in down, almost leaning on the mom. I got several photos and returned later with Jamey, who got me started on the whole eagle spotting.  It was only fair to share the owls with him!

Great horned owl and owlet

Great horned owl and owlet

Going places

1 Reply

Following my wonderful travels last year, I got a little blue, thinking about an entire winter in the cold and snow. So I started making travel plans for this year!  Definitely lifted my spirits!

First I found a hiking club, with local “lite” hikes of 2-4 miles, that help keep me active.

Next, I planned a visit to Acadia Park in Maine.  It is a perfect place to enjoy the wilderness, without going too wild, or too far from civilization.  My rental is called The Bird Nest, and it’s away from the more popular areas, close to trails and close to local stores.

Another event I found is called Trek and Sketch, which includes my favorite pastimes, hiking and sketching, and, even better, it will be in the hills/ mountains in the south of France. Ahh, the perfect place to be, and a great way to enjoy it!

These will require an updating of my equipment, okay, maybe just an excuse to get some new stuff.  A new Osprey daypack comes with so many attachments that I may require assistance to make the best use of them!  Osprey backpack

And, for the very short hikes, an Eddie Bauer cross shoulder pack. Eddie Bauer shoulder bag

As I’m writing this, we are getting yet more snow, which I don’t mind, but…it will be much nicer when spring arrives.  I was excited about seeing a cardinal today, until I realized they don’t migrate, so he’s been here all winter. I need to see a robin!  Cardinal sketch

Catching up

Leave a reply

Not sure how all of you (in the U.S.) are dealing with this cold snap. It’s sounds like we’ll be seeing warmer temperatures very soon, thankfully!
Meanwhile, I’ve been inside as much as possible, trying to stay busy. Lots of organizing, minimizing and cleaning out the old. Some art, and here are a  couple of recent ones…
Locally, a visit to the farmers market got me a couple of delicata squash. Cut and roasted, these make a delicious snack.  Delicata squash

An impulse purchase of a dozen quail eggs led to this sketch.  I was given instructions on how to break the eggs (tough shells!) or how to hard boil, which is what I did. After boiling, the inside of the shell is a very pale blue. They didn’t seem to taste much different than chicken eggs, but it was fun to try something different, and of course, get a quick sketch out of it too!  Quail eggs

One of my recent gifts was this adorable set of 3 photo holders, inspired by my travels.  They have the curly wires on top (not shown) to hold a pic.Jungle photo holders

Finally, I am very happy with the results of these two wrapped canvas with my art printed on them. They come ready to hang, no framing needed. They will be going to their new homes tomorrow.  2 elephant paintings

If you like these, or want a paper or canvas print of any of my art, let me know!  Even though I haven’t quite finished with sketching African creatures, I’m working on matting and framing my originals, and will have some prints available for sale.

Warm hugs to all of you and thank you for stopping by! ?

New year, new palette

Leave a reply

I like to sketch my palette at the beginning of each sketchbook, although consistency is not my forté!  I’m not starting a new sketchbook soon, so here is an update of my colors.

My current palette replaces a well used Schminke one.  This was purchased a few years ago, but it always seemed too heavy to use when traveling. It was finally time to test it, as the additional mixing area seems too good to waste.  You can see it’s been well used already. Watercolor palettes

The newer colors (small tin) are a set from Greenleaf & Blueberry.  Haven’t worked much with them, and looking forward to playing more.  2018 watercolors

For this very cold first day of the year, I’m rewatching a John Lovett watercolor instructional dvd. He is one of my favorite artists, and his videos are straightforward and easy to follow. Easy, that is, if you’re good at following direction. Not me!

Here’s to a year of creativity!

Zambia – Elephants

Leave a reply

The creatures I most wanted to see, who made me tear up when we saw our first herd, and they are so beautiful that I wonder – how can anyone even consider shooting one?

The elephants.  We were quite fortunate to see many herds, although I’m sorry to say I have no idea which ones we may have seen the day before.  These magnificent animals were described in the brochure as “Large, grey and unmistakable”.  I can’t put it into words any better,  so I’ll just post these 2 sketches.

 

Splashy Elephant

Splashy Elephant

elephants - river crossing

River crossing