Hiking & Painting in Nature – Chicago
Are you one to despair on a gloomy day? Does the weather hold you as a prisoner in your own home? Please, let me charm you on the joys of a rainy day. Yes, joy. The forest is alive, even without leaves on the trees, with the deafening sound of pelting rain. It vibrates and … Continue reading Rain Created Watercolor
Winter isn't deprived of beauty. Yes, color is a little more drab but really, beauty is still all around us... you must look a little closer. Where winter is weak in color, it makes up for it in texture. There is texture to be seen in every inch of every step you take in the … Continue reading The Allure of Winter Weeds
Today this tree is covered in white. It looks nothing like this painting. Perhaps there are a few less leaves as well after a gusty winter storm arrived in Chicago yesterday. It is perceived differently today than it was when it was not dressed in white, sporting gorgeous colors. But it is the same tree. … Continue reading Before the Snow Autumn Tree Watercolor
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
