Hiking & Painting in Nature – Chicago
I couldn't time this if I had tried...just days before Halloween. My son and I went for a hike at a local forest preserve. He found this species trying to cross the path, a female marbled orb-weaver (aka pumpkin spider). I wont lie. Spiders scare me....but isn't she a beauty?!? Right now in October, marbled … Continue reading Pumpkin Spider Watercolor
The way loss of autumn leaves is not a reason to fret. The way nakedness of tree is no cause for alarm. The way color drains from grass is not a concern. The way summer birds disappear is not anguish. For hope in things unseen is faith. And the tiniest of faith shifts barriers. When … Continue reading Unfailing Hope Autumnal Watercolor
The cottonwood wasn't angry, I was. Just the day before I had gotten into an argument with an in-law which was totally taken by surprise. I held a rational conversation as long as I could until I had to remove myself from a room in my own home. It's best to walk away than regret … Continue reading Angry Cottonwood Watercolor Sketch
On a dark forest floor, this mushroom was found. Almost comical upon first glance, as it is the size of a basketball... hence the name giant. These puffballs can grow full size overnight. And my National Audubon Society Mushroom Field Guide states that an average size giant puffball can contain 7 trillion spores. 7 Trillion! … Continue reading Giant Puffball Mushroom Watercolor Sketch
♪ ♫ ARE YOU READY FOR SOME AUTUMN?!? ♫ ♪ It's coming! Autumn is around the corner and right now you can enjoy its pregame show. I decided to tailgate at the forest preserves and here is what I saw... Honey Bees on Goldenrod Bumblebee on Aster Monarch on Aster Boneset Pink Joe-Pye-Weed Goldenrod Hawk … Continue reading Autumn’s Pregame Watercolor
The air is heavy with humidity, the sun hot on your skin, but the rushing sound of water provides a cool comfort as if there's relief within touch. And there is. The heat did not seem to bother the monarchs flitting in between the leaves of the tree next to the falls. Their wings so … Continue reading Waterfall Glen in Watercolor Pencils
https://youtu.be/jhkMMUOm5a0 (Quick 6 minute speed demo) Queen Anne's Lace is my favorite weed. When I was a child, I grew up next to an empty lot in the city and in the summer time the field was dressed in lace. Tall laced flowers dancing in the breeze, some as tall as I was... they became … Continue reading Let’s Paint a Field of Queens VIDEO
My kayak glides on the water, like a feather does carried by the wind. I drift along the shore of a tiny green island. A killdeer stares me down not moving an inch. I tempt my fate and move in closer. We are just 4 feet apart. Still in a staring contest, I study his … Continue reading On Lake Whalon Watercolor
The air is sweet green. It has been raining for two days and while most are scoffing, I welcome the rest. A steady downpour puts me in a trance without me even realizing it. I stare at strings of rain like crystal beads against the dark of pine. Beating rain pelting the ground is rhythmic … Continue reading Soaked Pine Watercolor
To enjoy the song of spring, it cannot be played on an iPhone or any other artificial electronic device. That would be an insult to your ears. To see a male rose-breasted grosbeak look you in the eye and hear him bicker at you for being too close to his turf is a very intimate … Continue reading The Song of Spring Watercolor
