Let's Paint Nature!
Hiking & Painting in Nature – Chicago
Each Tree for a Comfort
When I am melancholy, I paint a tree. When I am sad, I paint a tree. And when I’m longing, I paint a tree. I find myself painting them even when happy and content. They always seem to give me comfort. They’re my go to subject.
Perhaps it’s the fact that each has its own personality in the form of character, and completely changes season to season. They’re not loud, but calm. They shade you in the heat of summer and in winter uncover themselves bare. They can’t run away from you, they’re always present.
So after three days of silly arguing with my significant other, it was time to visit a tree. The latest one being in the bottom right-hand corner…an eastern redbud wearing its summer attire as it gracefully stands in the rain. Lovely.
I’m reminded of this quote:
“I will restore your health and heal your wounds,” declares the Lord.
Could it be that for some He uses trees?
Yes, I think so.
Only by kayak
Only by kayak is how to see this view
So few will observe it
Except maybe for the great blue heron…the one I accidentally flushed away
It saw me a mile away
I didn’t fool anybody
I only grasped its presence when the graceful wings gave beat
Then it was too late
The speed boats, they race by
Too fast to savor life when they fly
The only sound comes from the water beating on the rocks. Shhhhhh, shhhhhh, shhhhh. Every wave having a voice. Some louder than others.
I camped at Bailey’s Point Campground in Scottsville, Kentucky. It’s on a peninsula which jets out over Barren River Lake. This is one of the west facing rock walls. It’s such a gorgeous location.
Happy summer everyone!
Make it last before the cold sets in!!
Rose plume moth watercolor
Sometimes it’s the smallest things in life that make your day.
I just happened to notice this tiny moth as I was walking in my front door. Its thin bat like wings caught my eye. What a delicate and handsome insect.
From what I gather, July is a popular time to see them. However, all of my native flowers are blooming just a bit early. It is probably due to a very mild spring we had in the Chicago area. As the name implies, this moth feeds on rose leaves and buds. I do not have any roses growing in my yard, so perhaps this moth was just passing through.
More details on the rose plume moth can be found on iNaturalist.
It is so much fun to find organisms in nature and sketch them. I’ve learned a lot from practicing my art this way while documenting them in my sketchbook. And it really doesn’t matter how the art turns out…It’s the process that counts!
Native Haven Oasis – Watercolor
Fake vs Real.
Modified vs Natural
Beautiful vs Functional
I started to think about these things.
I’ve spoken about my native garden on this blog several times. Every morning that I do not have to work, I sit on the front porch with a cup of coffee or tea and watch the activity in the native garden.
Now, native gardens can look messy. I’ve tried to incorporate plants that will bloom in each season for color, attractiveness, and food for native insects. Sometimes the flowers are inconspicuous and barely noticeable, so I also planted some non-native flowers in containers. The flowers I chose were the Wave Petunias in yellow and pink.
Then I sat back and watched.
While the Wave Petunias are showy and demand your attention, they offer little to insects in my area. No insects visit the genetically modified flowers when I’m sitting outside. But the native flowers are teaming with action. You can watch at any time of the day and in a few minutes I can guarantee you’ll see a pollinator visit a native plant.
Some may think….Well, good. I don’t want insects around. I’ll stick to my non-natives.
But insects are near the base of our food chain. They pollinate plants, feed animals, etc. And they’re rapidly dwindling in numbers over the last few decades. Right now drones are being produced to help pollinate plants because humans could not possibly hand pollinate as quickly and efficiently as insects.
I’m not against Wave Petunias, I bought them myself. But the native plants are so important. I wish they had the same popularity as the GMO plants. Maybe consider planting a native alongside a non-native? Even if it’s in a container! It can help so many native insects!
Winsome Weevil – Watercolor
I know weevils can be troublesome. They eat plants and can even infest homes…but that snout…it’s so darn cute!
This rhubarb weevil (Lixus concavus) appears to be yellow, however that’s just a powdery coat which can be rubbed off. Underneath is a brown beetle. From the picture, it seems as if it has bored a hole into the stem where it will lay an egg.
I encountered this one on a nearby bike trail. I just love that snout!
That Pine Smell Though – watercolor
Saturated.
The air was so.
Soaked with a thick and glorious pine aroma.
I swam in it.
Soft was the carpet of pine needles.
I settled on it.
Serene was the light filtering through…
Shadows dancing.
I was swooned by it.
Scrub pine.
I was very excited to try my new toy, the Portable Painter (this is not sponsored, btw). It’s a compact mini watercolor field kit that fits on your leg. It has two water containers that slide on the sides of the kit. The water containers fit perfectly on your thigh. This is great because one of the challenges when painting in the field is trying to hold everything in one hand while painting with the other hand. I was laying on the ground with it on my leg, but you can also sit on a camping chair with it. Convenient!
The kit does not come with watercolors, so you’ll need to fill the pans from your own watercolor tube paints and allow them to harden for 24 hours at least.
It also stands on its own quite well.
This scub pine (Pinus virginiana), is amongst many other pine species, which contributed to that wonderful prominent pine scent.
I found one of its cones still attached to a branch and decided to make an ink detail. I like its spiky tips. I’m spiky, but only in the morning.
Get outside my friends, and explore nature. The time is perfect.
Spring Sketch at Willoway Brook -watercolor and video
I would say that springtime in the Chicagoland area has been phenomenal this year. Around here, we usually go from winter directly into summer. Or spring teases us with a few nice days, then we’re bombarded with humid, hot weather. Not so for 2021. It seems as if March and April were mild, and May so far is beautiful too.
So I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go to the Morton Arboretum to sketch one of my favorite streams, Willoway Brook. This location has wonderful memories for me because when my son was small, I took him to this waterway to collect aquatic organisms to inspect under a toy magnifying glass. How excited he was when he identified squirming life right in his aquatic insect kit!
Fast forward 20 years and he now creates music for my videos.
Enjoy this 2 minute video of some highlights at the Morton Arboretum and watch a watercolor sketch of Willoway Brook come to life!
And remember when things get tough in life…..
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
Bobble Head Baby Bubo watercolor
First, I am sorry I have been away for soooooo long. I just finished an overwhelming semester at school of 5 classes and by the grace of God, I passed chemistry (which almost did me in, btw). Secondly, and unrelated, can you pray for my Mom, she is sick with Covid and I’m very concerned. Much appreciated.
Today’s post is the epitome of spring. New birth. A fuzzy ball of cuteness is this baby great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) with its mother, who lovingly preens it. My very talented cousin and photographer, Jackie Novak, took the video below of the couple. This was filmed in Indiana about 2 weeks ago. As you can see, the baby bobbles its head at the 1:32 mark. What it’s doing is trying to listen to something. This behavior is called triangulation. Great horned owls look as if they have great big ears on the top of their head, however, those are just feathers in an effort to make them look larger. Their ears are small holes asymmetrically located to the side and a little lower than the eyes. When owls move their heads in a triangular pattern, they are honing in on where the sound is coming from. Imagine that their head is a great big satellite dish and they’re locking into the orientation of sound.
Don’t they just melt your heart?!?
Have a wonderful day my nature and art friends! ❤
Glad to be back.
Infected Pines Watercolor
watercolor in a cold press sketchbook
Sometimes nature is not always beautiful. It has as we perceive them, imperfections. One day, I noticed young red pines (Pinus resinosa) in a nearby park that had brown patches all along the bottom perimeter of each tree. I did not pay much attention nor give the situation importance. But then, I noticed that every red pine along my 50 minute commute to school had the very same problem. Every very last one of them. Suddenly the tiny issue at the park took a much greater significance.
I’ve heard it could be a fungus. I don’t want to pinpoint what the problem is because I’m not completely sure. When contemplating how many pines are involved, I began to worry. But then I remembered the question a young summer camp attendee once asked me as we were hiking in the woods. She noticed a dying tree and asked, ” Why don’t we just cut it down?”
This response is so human. The tree is imperfect…why don’t we get rid of it? What value does it have? It’s not serving me, so let’s do away with it.
I began to describe the plethora of wildlife that depends on dying and dead trees. From birds to beetles to worms to microscopic organisms to fungi and eventually to the soil itself. The next generation of new plant growth needs the minerals from this dying organism.
So what exactly is imperfection?
One of my favorite verses of all times:
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD.
Isaiah 55:8
So, could it be that everything has a purpose? Who knows, maybe in the future if thousands of these pines succumb to a dismal fate, many organisms will be, at that time, in need no longer. So be it.
Nature is beautiful the way it is. And I do believe there is a plan. One in which, thank goodness, I don’t have to be in control of.
winter pines as night descends watercolor
watercolor on Arches cold pressed 140lb block
Winter is one of the most beautiful seasons in existence. Not for flashy obvious reasons like autumn’s bold colors, but for very subtle quiet reasons which must be sought. One of my favorite aspect of winter is that dramatic twilight sky…the one that changes second by second. When you find yourself under a winter twilight sky, don’t move, watch the colors melt and grow dark until night takes over. Try to do this in silence with no distractions like the cellphone, television, or radio. It truly is a sacred moment.
This tiny watercolor (3.5 x 5″) looks like a pine under the Northern Lights. I’ve never seen the Northern Lights in person. What a blessing that would be if I could one day! Wow!
The paper I used (Arches cold press block) has a lot of texture. I was surprised at how much I liked it. With these two paintings, I experimented with a wet on wet sky. It really made the transition between colors smooth.
watercolor on Arches cold pressed 140lb block
The texture of the paper is really visible in this painting. I held the painting vertical so that gravity could pull the dark blue sky and make it “fall” down. It almost looks like sheets of rain. While the sky was wet, I painted some distant pines which made them out of focus…perfect for distant pines.
Let’s embrace the beauty of winter even if the moment is fleeting. I hope you find yourself under a dramatic twilight winter sky soon.
May God bless and protect you in 2021,
Christine
Daily Verse
- Psalm 119:60“I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.”
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