Darkness and Dawn

Darkness and Dawn

I woke up and glanced out the bedroom window to see streaks of light breaking the darkness, crossing the night sky with hints of the new day. Racing to my studio, I painted this in the dark; if I had turned on a light, I would no longer have been able to see what was dim but dramatic in the early dawn light beyond my window. As I look at the sky on such mornings, I can't help wondering how often our lights, sounds, and other ways of adapting our world obscure from our view the often-silent beauty of that which is beyond our control and is far more majestic than anything we can create. 

This is one of the paintings on display at the East Fishkill Library until Friday this week.

Cardinals

Watercolor 5x7

Cardinals

From early spring through summer, I awaken to the song of a Cardinal, the first herald of the new day. In winter, the Cardinals around my home seem to prefer their cozy perches and they let other birds announce dawn, preferring to wait for the late-rising sun to fully appear. Just in the past week, though, the  Cardinals have started singing their cheerful morning song, which tells me that they believe spring is just around the corner. Much as I love winter, I will welcome the warmth, the sunshine, and the song of spring.

This Cardinal watercolor is currently on display at the East Fishkill Library in Hopewell Junction, NY. If interested in purchasing it, please contact me at naturepainter@hotmail.com.

Here are a few of my journal pages from recent days, sketched in between shoveling snow:

 

 

 

Birds and Dogs in the Snow

I know, snow is not a newsy worthy event by now, with the many snowstorms we've been having this winter, but I am still loving it. Today the snow is falling with large, lazy flakes, making for a muted, serene landscape. The view may be quiet and peaceful looking, but the birds are full of vim and vigor. Twenty or more Goldfinches vie for the best spots at our feeders, chasing off larger birds and getting in repeated airborne spats with one another. Our local bully, a large, confident Mourning Dove is back, claiming a one yard length of the deck railing. Whenever another bird ventures onto "his" section of railing, the Bully fluffs up to almost twice his normal size and rushes at the other bird, which hurriedly leaves. The Cardinals started their spring songs this past week, and the Titmice have been filling the air with their clarion notes for a while, so even though it looks like winter, it's starting to sound like spring.

 Stephen and I have shoveled pathways through the snow-- our "Cat in the Hat" paths, which encircle our yard, so that I can walk and the dogs run around. Petra is usually dashing full tilt ahead of me, careening off the paths to leap up trees or just plow with delight through the deep snow, while Milo trots steadily behind me, around and around and around, wagging his tail the whole time. Rowan spends much of his time "grazing" on bird seed that has spilled beneath the feeders, but he comes running any time he thinks I'm going to throw snowballs. Both Aussies loves to leap at the snow I toss aside when shoveling, and there's been plenty of that to amuse them, and even Milo gets in on the shoveling fun sometimes.

Wise Old Owl

Wise Old Owl

One morning before dawn my children and I went to a nearby county park to see if we could see a Barred Owl that reportedly was in the area. We waited quietly a half hour or so, before an owl suddenly swooped in on silent wings, then perched in a tree in plain sight. We observed and sketched him for over half an hour, before he left as silently as he had arrived.

Here is my journal page from that day in 2001, when I observed a Barred Owl with my children. We also found a dead weasel right near the owl's area, and we wondered whether the owl had killed the weasel.

 This watercolor is currently on display at the East Fishkill Library in Hopewell Junction, NY. If interested in purchasing it, please contact me at naturepainter@hotmail.com.

Winter Sparkle

Watercolor 5x7 (8x10 framed)

Winter Sparkle

I stood at my front door, every few minutes stepping briefly out into the winter cold, attempting to capture the magic of the early morning sunshine sparkling on the stream as it wound its way through the woods. This is the view I see every morning, sometimes covered with snow (as it is today), sometimes green with lush growth, and often in the winter, nearly monochromatic, which makes the sparkle of the stream in the sunlight all the more captivating.

This watercolor is currently on display at the East Fishkill Library and is available for $200, matted and framed. If interested, please contact me at naturepainter@hotmail.com.

Bash Bish Falls

Watercolor 13x9

Bash Bish Falls

I’ve visited this waterfall in southwestern Massachusetts many time, sometimes sketching it, sometimes just enjoying the ever-changing pattern of the falls. Over the years I’ve sketched it on location a few times and have done several paintings of it in my studio. I hope to do many more paintings of these falls over the years, observing and documenting how the flow of the water changes over time.

This painting is currently on display at the East Fishkill Library in Hopewell Junction, NY. If interested in purchasing it, please contact me at naturepainter@hotmail.com. 

Pileated Woodpeckers

Watercolor 12x8

Pileated Pair

One day, feeling down, I walked outside hoping the fresh air would lift my spirits. One of these magnificent birds swooped low beside me and landed on a tree just feet from me—the first Pileated Woodpecker I had seen on our land! We now have a pair in our woods, and every time I see them, I am reminded of that gift.

Pileated Pair is currently on display at the East Fishkill Library in Hopewell Junction, NY. If you're interested in purchasing this painting, please contact me at naturepainter@hotmail.com. 


(This painting is based on reference photos by me and by Samantha Keith-- many thanks to Sam for permission to use her photos of the wildlife she sees around her home.)