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A Year of Birds: March
Read more: A Year of Birds: MarchIt is March, and the weather is finally starting to warm up a bit – it even goes into the mid-40’s on a sunny day! The snow is starting to melt, and the landscape is slowly turning from white to brown. Locals are used to the “spring slush” in which back roads turn into muddy,…
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Migrating Sanderling: acrylic painting
Read more: Migrating Sanderling: acrylic paintingA couple of weeks ago, when walking on the beach, I came across a group of sanderlings migrating south. One was exceptionally cute, and this painting is the result. As usual, I painted this with a limited palette of Tit. white, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, burnt ochre, burnt sienna and a touch of payne’s gray.…
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A Year of Birds: February
Read more: A Year of Birds: FebruarySince I am new to living in north Michigan near Lake Huron, I was surprised to discover that the bald eagle not only stays all winter long, but juveniles can often be seen hanging out near Misery Bay and other frozen marshes next to the now frozen lakeshore. They will at times hunt together along…
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A Year of Birds: January
Read more: A Year of Birds: JanuaryWhile I often share my paintings here, I have rarely shared my personal reference photos. I will be posting some of my favorite bird photos over the next few months, organized month-by-month, as well as some thoughts on each month. First is January. When it is January in north Michigan, a blanket of snow several…
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Sandhill Cranes: Oil Painting
Read more: Sandhill Cranes: Oil PaintingA few weeks ago, I saw some sandhill cranes feeding in the evening light at Misery Bay. I took a bunch of photos, and decided to take a more impressionistic approach to these beautiful birds. I used a limited palette for this oil painting: tit. white; ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, Burnt Umber, burnt sienna, yellow…
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Mute Swans on the River
Read more: Mute Swans on the RiverI love the beauty of swans, and when I saw these two on a nearby river, I couldn’t resist painting them. I hope you enjoy their elegant grace as much as I do! As usual, my palette was limited: titanium white, burnt umber, cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue and cerulean blue. The swans can be seen…
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Female Cardinal: acrylic and oil painting
Read more: Female Cardinal: acrylic and oil paintingI love cardinals, and chose to paint a female that I had photographed in early spring in a setting of flowers for fun.
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Kildeer on Lake Huron Beach
Read more: Kildeer on Lake Huron BeachI enjoy painting Kildeer; they are one of my favorite shore birds. This one hangs out on a small rocky point on Lake Huron in North Michigan. I went with a limited palette for this one: burnt umber, burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre and titanium white.
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Egret in the Marsh
Read more: Egret in the MarshI have spent a lot of time walking near, around and in the marshes of North Michigan. This is the habitat where black flies and mosquitoes like to live – but it is all worth it to catch sight of an egret like this one! This painting is based on one that hangs out in…
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Nuthatch in Early Spring: acrylic painting
Read more: Nuthatch in Early Spring: acrylic paintingI enjoy watching nuthatches creeping upside down and sideways around trees, and decided to paint this one that I saw in the early Michigan spring a few weeks ago just after it had snowed. I used a very limited palette for this painting: ultramarine blue, titanium white, burnt umber, burnt sienna and yellow ochre.
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Juncos Under the Pines: Acrylic Painting
Read more: Juncos Under the Pines: Acrylic PaintingJuncos are small birds that are ground feeders. I often see them under the pines here in North Michigan, and decided to paint a pair of males searching for food in early spring. I used a very limited palette for this painting: ultramarine blue, burnt umber, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, sap green and titanium white.…
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Tundra Swans: acrylic painting
Read more: Tundra Swans: acrylic paintingTundra swans can be seen in northern Michigan along the shores of Lake Huron. I love the way they look; like boats gliding along the surface. This is a painting I did of one section along the shore during the early evening. My goal was to capture the peaceful feeling at this time of day;…