May Day Update

Well I am calling it done. But otherwise don't have a name for it. I am open to suggestions. I sort of wish I had done something a bit different with the foreground but I suppose that is what making art is all about, exploring ideas and discovering what works and doesn't work. I do like the central shape and the colors I chose, it is just some of the other details I am conflicted about.

Above is a Nature Journal spread from my visit to Daniel Webster a week ago Monday. It was raining off and on for my visit so I spent most of it in the blinds watching the swallows swoop back and fourth across the pond eating insects. In nice weather they normally don't perch, but for some reason some of them were taking pauses to rest on a near by tree limb. The above image shows one swallow, extending its wings while sitting on the wooden support.

The lower image shows a bird I saw that seemed to be hunting something in the island areas. It was perching across a couple of reed stems. I think it was a red wing blackbird, mostly likely male, but I was seeing females that day, something I don't normally see (they are colored differently than the males) if so she may have been looking for nesting materials.

The pond was mostly empty that day a few geese were visible, but mostly I watched the swallows, at least two kinds, Barn and probably Tree Swallows. There weren't even a lot of turtles out and about though there were a few.

Above is Last nights figure drawing. Last night I thought I had done a pretty good job on her face, but looking at this photograph I am not so sure. All things are relative of course and since you guys don't know what she looks like you probably think I did a pretty good job. I don't know about you, but I tend to be fairly self critical with these drawings. How else can I learn if I don't pick up my mistakes?

I am closing today's update with a couple of photographs. The above stand of trees I made at Daniel Webster when I was there over a week ago. You can see the grass is turning green, and colors have been darken and intensified by the rain. Not sure what these trees are, leaves are just starting to emerge, but I loved the texture of light against the dark background. Patchy areas on the tree trunks are lichen rounds.

The photo above is a very dark bee getting nectar from a flowering bush. This photo was made over this past weekend at Massasoit State Park. The flowers are very sweet smelling and usually bloom a bit later in the year. In past years I have noticed the bush covered in Bees, this year I had to look hard to find them. It is not a really good thing that trees and bushes are blooming before the pollinating insects are ready for them.

That is it for today. May Day, a holiday for Workers in many parts of the World other than the US. Not sure why we have never adopted it as a Holiday, maybe because we already had Labor Day in Sept. prior to the May date becoming popular. Anyway, hope everyone is have a great day, and if you care to comment I always enjoy reading them.