Drawings of pronghorn antelope from my shrub grassland sketchbook. Pronghorn are interesting animals to observe and draw - beautiful markings, strong horns, and big brown eyes. They are thought to have evolved to outrun the now extinct American cheetah. As such they are the fastest mammal in North America, running at speeds of up to 40-60 mph! To enable them to run this fast, their heart, lungs, and trachea are several times larger than other similar sized ungulates and they have high levels of hemoglobin in their blood. While their long legs appear lightweight and delicate, they are made with strong bones. With the largest eyes of any North American ungulate, they can see a 300 degree arc without moving their head, allowing them to detect predators at great distances.
New Painting Series Idea
I often come up with ideas for art series while working on other projects (or in the middle of the night when I get a flash of insight). I jot down my ideas in my art journals for later contemplation, with the intention of having my ideas turn into amazing works of art in the future! My honeybee pesticide idea was inspired by my concerns about bee population declines, which expanded (in my head at least) to a whole series of toxicology art. Why not unite my years of work in toxicology with making art?! As you can see in the sketch, I'm rolling around the idea of incorporating chemical structures with the animal and/or plant affected by the chemical. In my sketch, I'm showing conceptually that a certain class of pesticides has been shown to negatively impact honeybees and other pollinators. I'm really excited about this concept and will continue to share sketches as I come up with new ideas!
Shrub Grassland Plants
I love the smell and color of the different sagebrush plants. This is an initial sketch. I'm still in the process of applying watercolor. I often go back to drawings and add color or details at a later time.
Sketching at Gainan's
My goal in this sketch was to focus on patterns and shapes, using a pen to draw them. I loved how varied they were in this arrangement. I also enjoyed adding color with watercolor. The background behind the arrangement was an old wooden orderly-patterned trellis. My interpretation of the trellis was a bit more random.
Zen Coho
Comments..
Inking phase of my Zen Coho painting, now completed and shown on my gallery page. Enjoy all the patterns!
Rimrocks
My first sketch of the rimrocks, which tower above our neighborhood, Billings, and the Yellowstone River. They provide a natural launching pad for airplanes (Billings airport is located along a portion of the rimrock plateau) and birds alike. At first glance, they seem dry, brown, and unexceptional, but if one observes them long enough, they show their sublime beauty. I find myself admiring them, especially in the early morning or late afternoon light. The rimrocks show their colors - not just brown - but oranges, reds, and yellows, plus the various greens of the trees and shrubs sparingly popping out of the rocks.
Snowy Owl
Adult snowy owls on the tundra. We are all enchanted by these seemingly mystical snowy white birds, especially given it’s magical role in the Harry Potter series. Aside from this, I've learned some parental facts about snowy owls that I find touching.
Breeding pairs of snowy owls are typically monogamous. They parent cooperatively and are highly dedicated and protective of their owlets. The male hunts for food to bring back to the nest, while the female keeps the owlets warm and safe and breaks up the food for them to eat. Unlike many other birds of prey, mother snowy owls will nurture an owlet that is sickly, even taking some food away from stronger siblings so that it will have a fighting chance. She will also tenderly brood the owlet even if there's no chance of survival to keep it warm as it dies. Look for sketches of owlets coming soon.
Burrowing Owl
Juvenile burrowing owls responding to an intruder unwittingly entering into their underground nest. Intrusions like this regularly happen because many animal species (in addition to the owls) use tunnels and burrows made by prairie dogs or other digging mammals. These "tunnel towns" occur in dry, open landscapes. In cowboy country, these diurnal, long-legged owls are known as “howdy birds” because they nod their heads, as if in greeting, while exiting their burrows.
Great Horned Owl
We had moved from the big city to a quiet rural town when I first heard a Great Horned Owl. I had no idea what it was, but reveled in the new nature sounds all around us. I remember standing by our open bedroom window in the middle of the night, listening to the owl the first year we lived in our house (by then I had figured out what it was). I was enchanted. The sound visually reminds me of a small bouncing ball, in which there is a big bounce, then a few smaller successive bounces as it moves away. Allaboutbirds.org describes the call as a deep, stuttering series of 4 to 5 hoots. HOO...hoo hoo hoo hoo.
Zen Shells
Inspired by a recent trip to the California central coast.
Tomatoes
Lovely tomatoes from my friend, Mary's, garden.
Zinnias
Zinnias from Moss Mansion in Billings, MT. Not quite finished with watercolor washes...