Gathering Reference
I love spring and early summer. All of God's glorious creation is in high gear and bursting with promise. Plants are growing, wildflowers are blooming, birds are nesting and animals are giving birth. The cycle of life is renewing itself and I find it difficult to be in the studio painting. The draw to be out in the middle of all this activity is often more than I can stand and I find myself wandering off to parts unknown to find a quiet spot, immerse myself in the moment, observe, learn, sketch and take photos as the new life unfolds before me. As a wildlife artist this is a great opportunity to gather reference for future paintings.
I have been very fortunate to be able to witness this renewal of life with several creatures throughout this spring and early summer. There is the nonstop parade of critters in my backyard that keeps me entertained throughout my day. Several species of birds visit my feeders. Squirrels scamper along the fence line, a raccoon paid an evening visit and a mule deer showed up to sample the roses.
On my daily walks I watched a pair of red-tails raise three chicks this year. Last year they had only two, but this year the nest was full and the pair spent a lot of time out hunting to feed their hungry brood.
Friends know I am always on the lookout for inspiration and are always good about calling me to let me know if they've found something I might be interested in. This has given me opportunities to view a family of great horned owls all roosting together in a tree. The youngsters were a mixture of down and feathers and openly curious about me as their parents kept watch through squinted eyes.
Also due to calls from good friends was a chance to see burrowing owls....
and a colony of short-eared owls....
I was so excited to get good photos of these that I got up at 4 a.m. to be on location at sun-up to catch the best light. At 5:15 a.m. I took my first photo of one of the birds on a post and moments later I had five in the air circling low over my head and "barking" at me. What an experience!
On one of my walks with my dog he discovered a fox den that had fresh scat nearby telling me this was an active den, so again, with a 4 a.m. wake-up call I was up and out the door to catch the best light and have the best chance of seeing the fox as most wildlife is more active at dawn and dusk. I was rewarded with seeing a few adults and three kits. And took about a hundred photos providing me with numerous painting ideas!
On another early morning walk I came across a mule deer doe and her newborn fawn. The fawn was only hours old and from a safe distance I got to watch it take it's first steps as mama waited patiently. Thankfully, I had my camera and was able to record the event.
It has been really great to be able to have all these wonderful experiences. And while I haven't been painting as much this is still an important part of the process for me. Spending time with these wild creatures helps me to create better paintings. The challenge now is to sort through all this reference and translate that into meaningful works of art. And I am working on that in between running out the door at the crack of dawn to track down the inspiration of my next painting!
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