Nature Journal and Fall

Not much to show today. I have been working on the new stipple piece but so far it doesn't really look like it. I am working on the background and the piece is large enough that even several hours of work don't show much of an impact visually. Maybe next update I will give you a peak at progress.

As a break from all the stipple work I wanted to do something a bit more straight forward so above is the start of my newest animal drawing. This is obviously a rabbit, from a photograph I made at Daniel Webster last summer when there was a young rabbit brave enough to feed in the grass next to the parking area during the afternoon. Since Daniel Webster is the home of many raptors/predators I am not sure how this brave (or stupid) bunny made out in the long run.

Above is a page from my nature journal for a visit to Daniel Webster a week ago Saturday, October 13. A break from my usual routine as I thought the sanctuary was going to be having its Farm Day. However I was off by a week (it was actually held last Saturday the 20th).

Actually it was a good visit where I saw either 2 or 3 Great Blue Herons in the Panne. I know there were at least 2 since they were both there at the same time. But shortly after they left either one came back or a new bird arrived. That one seemed to be panting, keeping its beak open while it was standing on an island. It didn't stay long and didn't do any hunting on the stop, the day wasn't that hot so I am not sure what was going on with that bird. Hope it was alright. Anyway I know I wouldn't have seen them if the activities of Farm Day had been going on, too noisy.

Back to the drawings the top drawing is my tree stump, showing water levels just a bit higher. We  have been having quite a bit of rain but it seems to be soaking into the ground, so even though I expect the water level in the Panne to be higher than it actually is the good news is that there is enough rain to keep it from dropping. Bottom image is one of the Great Blue Herons, this one took the time to try and find a bite to eat, the other two sightings were just of birds resting, but no feeding behavior  My guess is these guys were migrating south and had just stopped at Daniel Webster for a break.

Above is a not so wonderful photograph of two of the herons taking off from the Panne.  Very cool to see, though the photo isn't the best. There are also some Canada Geese and ducks in the water.

This photograph is of fall leaves at Moose Hill. Last Monday instead of going back to Daniel Webster I went out to Moose Hill and had a long walk. Above is one of the many photographs I made on that walk. It shows a field with maples turning colors. It was a beautiful day but not always as sunny as I would have liked.

That is it for today. Not a lot to show, but comments are always welcome.

ATC, Nature Journal and a figure

I finished another ATC card, The flower is a cosmos which I photographed last summer. Done on 140lb cold press watercolor paper, I outlined the flower with ink and then used watercolor to fill in.

Below is a Nature Journal page from my visit to Moose Hill MA Audubon Sanctuary in Sharon, MA. last week.

This isn't a sanctuary I visit very often which is a bit odd since it is closer to me than many of the others I more frequently visit. But this site is mainly woods and fields including a working farm with not a lot of open water, it is water I seem to be attracted to and is the main feature of the sites I visit most often.

The top image  in the journal is of a Sugar Maple tree next to a stone wall. This tree has been tapped to collect sap. Later the sanctuary will have a public Sugar Off day to boil the sap down to either maple syrup or sugar. I did walk by the shed where they have cords of wood stacked waiting for the event.

The lower image is of a wisteria seed pod. One of the trees in the sanctuary is the prop for an old wisteria vine. I have seen this in bloom in past years and it is really quite beautiful. Probably not very good for the tree in the long term but so far both seem to be doing well. The pods aren't very long about 4 inches and are fuzzy on the outside.

Above is last nights figure drawing. It was an interesting pose though the model found it difficult to hold, so I wasn't able to get some of the elements as well defined as I would have liked. Namely the hand that is reaching down onto her leg. Still I think it works. We rarely have a pose where the model is leaning forward like she was last night, so it was sort of fun to draw.

My last image is a photograph I made at Moose Hill. The shed behind the trees is really for a colony of bats to have a home, though I am sure they use the shed for storage of other items used on the property. The 2 trees in the center of the photo are Sugar Maples as you can tell by the buckets attached to the trees to collect sap. These are huge trees, I have to wonder just how old they are, but the member who was at the center when I returned didn't know when I asked her. I would guess about 300 200 years, but of course I may be wrong. Still this land has been farmed for probably at least that long so it is possible. Sugar Maples would have been highly prized by the farmer who owned the land, and might even have been planted.

That is it for today, per usual comments are welcome.