Teton Wildflowers I

Dawn Nelson © 2019

The border reflects the stone and metalwork in the lobby of the Jackson Lake Lodge, one of our favorite hangouts when we are in the Grand Teton National Park.

Bales of Barley

Dawn Nelson © 2019

I love the geometric shapes of the hay and barley bales, rolled up every which way, and the lines made by the leftover stalks. The golden yellow that pops out of these fields is magical, especially when the sunlight hits them just right.

Montana Wildflower, Beartooth Wilderness

Dawn Nelson © 2019

All of my senses were engaged when sketching this wildflower growing next to the West Fork of Rock Creek near the Beartooth Wilderness in MT. Sounds of the water rushing over rocks, the bees and hover flies vying for the best feeding spots, the breeze in the pine trees. The smells of the wilderness, fresh water, and wildflowers. The feel of the sun on my face and shoulders while I draw. The impossible green of the grasses and leaves, the bright splashes of magenta, yellow, and orange of the flowers, the cerulean blue sky that intermittently turns a Payne’s gray threatening to rain, but then the warm beams of the sun break through. What a glorious time field sketching!

Bald Eagle Sketch

Dawn Nelson © 2019

Another eagle sketch for my raptor series. The eagle’s top ecosystem requirements include a good food base, especially fish - eagles love fish; high-up perching areas so they can see with their “eagle” eye; and large trees for nesting.

Eagle Study 1

Dawn Nelson © 2019

I’m starting sketching studies of birds in preparation for creating multiple series of paintings on birds. I think I’ll start with raptors, then the swallows of Smith River (based on my rafting trip down said river), then the world’s crane species (31 of them!).

Salvia - Wild Sage

Dawn Nelson © 2018

The edible kind. In the spring and early summer it unfolds into beautiful purple flowers and graces our gardens and has naturalized in many parts of the world. Which is a good thing because pharmacological studies are showing that it has anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidementia, antimicrobial, anti-everything properties. Hmmm, I think I’ll go make some sage tea…

Sketch for Milkweed Illustration

Dawn Nelson ©2018

Sketch for pen & ink illustration that will be printed on native garden plant labels at the Montana Audubon Center.

Snow Hats

Dawn Nelson © 2019

What’s left of beebalm and dill in the garden.

Summer Studio Time

I’m sitting at my computer (obviously), with my head still spinning from the first few weeks of school and coming to terms with the fact that I now have 7 to 8 hours a day to do something other than focus on kids, i.e., be productive. I promised that I would draw a follow-up wildflower study page and post…as of today I only have preliminary sketches and memories of summer wildflowers. They are on my studio to-do list though, and the post will happen, albeit not timely. On a rainy fall day, I’m sure I’ll be inspired to paint those fleeting wildflower colors.

In the meantime, I wanted to show proof that I have been working in my studio on a piece for a pollinator series I have in the works. The sketches you see will become a collage of wildflowers and pollinators.

Wildflower Study I

Who is the fairest of all? I drew these flowers while hiking during a gorgeous time of year in Montana's Beartooth mountains (when is it not?), where alpine meadows and forests are blanketed with dozens of wildflower species. One of the more enchanting flowers I came upon was the Fairy Slipper Orchid. It's easy to favor this beauty, as I imagined magical fairies and other mythical creatures dancing in the deep forest. It is also known as Calypso orchid, based on classical mythology of a sea nymph who concealed Odysseus on an island for 7 years. Named as such because the flowers are concealed amongst the forest floor litter and are easy to miss.  I also love the deep blue violet of the larkspur, which reminds me of the velvet of renaissance royalty, and the brightly colored blanket flower, which simply adds a happy presence to the landscape. 

And alas, a colorful (and rather large!) pollinator making it's way from flower to flower, doing it's part to keep the landscape beautiful for all of us.

Lovely Lilacs

Filling the air with their heady fragrance, lilacs are a sure sign of spring. This year, they are blooming profusely in our Montana town, undoubtedly because of the long cold-initiated dormancy they experienced this past winter. While they are part of many gardens all over North America, they are not indigenous to our country. However, these lovely shrubs have been part of our landscape since the 1700s when they were brought over from Europe by New England settlers. Most notably, the oldest known lilacs were believed to have been planted around 1750 on the Governor Wentworth estate in New Hampshire, and journal notes indicate that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both had lilacs in their gardens.