2005 Sketches

November 11, 2005—Pt. Reyes lighthouse view
This color sketch is a study for a future picture. Pt. Reyes National Seashore has been a favorite place of mine since our brief year in California. This picture shows the view if you are standing near the top of the many, many steps leading down to the lighthouse. Being an artist, I was much more interested in capturing the many colored rocks and moody sky and sea. The experience was crowned by a fly-by visit from a pair of peregrine falcons.

November 9, 2005—Humboldt Redwood State Park
Is there anything quite like visiting the redwoods? There is nothing more uplifting to me than wandering through the large trees, listening to the muffled sounds of the forest talking to itself. This sketch was made at the F.K. Lane Grove. A little creek spills down through the forest, wandering through the giant trees and thick ferns.

October 23, 2005—horned grebes
To truly appreciate grebes, you probably need to see them in their breeding plumage. In the winter (like in this sketch), all grebe species are drab, clad in greys and browns. In spring, they seem to celebrate by putting on brighter colors. Some of them grow out feathers resembling ears, horns and other ornaments on their heads.

September 4, 2005—fire in the Bitterroot Mountains, Idaho
In early evening, we saw the sun light up the clouds of smoke billowing from a forest fire as we drove by. We saw several forest fires on this fall trip to Yellowstone. This scene was sketched with ballpoint pen and watercolor pencils. It’s always challenging trying to capture a scene that is passing by at 65 miles an hour!

April 24, 2005—black oystercatchers
These are sketches of a pair of oystercatchers at Boiler Bay on the Oregon Coast. They are rather odd looking birds. They have pasty pink stubby legs, all brown/black feathers, and powerful vermilion red bills that they use to pry open oystershells. And those eyes! Because of their red-rimmed eyes and bulging foreheads, when they look straight at you, they always look like they are scowling, or a bit possessed...

April 24, 2005—Brandt’s cormorants
Brandt’s cormorants are one of several seabird species nesting at Yaquina Head, a Bureau of Land Management property in Oregon. Here I took notes on their impressive breeding displays. “Attraction display ongoing. Some bringing in grasses for nest building. One seen passing grass to mate, then both go into bill grabbing at each other. One guards nest site and grasses while other fetches more supplies. Also joint neck stretches and collapses.” Also “display: head twisted and upside down. Tail erect and fanned. Wings flapping.” Click here to see a scratchboard portrait of a Brandt.

April 19, 2005—giant trilliums
This is my color study for a piece that became Spring Giants. These plants aren’t native to the Willamette Valley but were growing in a native plant garden. This sketch established my desired composition and guided the reference photos I took.

March 13, 2005—great horned owl at Baskett Slough
Much of Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge is waterfowl habitat. There is also a bit of prairie with rare plants and butterflies living there. The surprising part is a small forested hill called Baskett Butte. There in the cool, thick forest, we were lucky enough to spot this great horned owl resting out the day in a large conifer. Ckick here to go to Light on Baskett Butte, the finished piece of artwork made from this sketch.