Summer!

 Been a tough May and June for bugs!

Rats, let May and June go by without an entry...had a lot I could have written, just too many interruptions, projects and head in the wrong place I guess...oh ya - and BUGS!

Finished a couple small pieces since the last entry...had a great songbird spring and now a lot going on in the pasture here...uh more than usual, more on that later.

"Red-bellied Woodpecker (male)- Portrait"

(color pencil drawing -  © Bruce A. Morrison)

Did a nice little life size portrait of a Red-bellied Woodpecker a few weeks back...it is just slightly larger than those in the past..I wanted a more-to-life-size presentation, where I felt many of those in the past were a bit under sized.  The Red-bellieds are here year around and are really quite attractive up close, especially the males - as was this color pencil drawing.

"Windrows in Cloud Shadow"

(oil painting -  © Bruce A. Morrison)

Just finished a small oil painting of a pasture down the road about 3-4 miles...It was a great cloud shadow afternoon; I love those days in the landscape...as a kid I used to race them across open fields of a friend's farm.  I added some windrows in the foreground shadow and spot lit the middle distant ground field pattern and bales.  I had issues and hurdles with this one...firstly not getting the foreground dark enough to appear as in cloud shadow - then the middle ground not brightly lit enough to suit me...I spent about 3 weeks glazing the foreground to deepen and cool down the cloud shadowed windrows and foreground trees...then scumbling the middle ground area to make the sunlit pasture and landscape appear warmer and more brightly lit.  In the middle of all this I had cataract surgery in both eyes - wow did that add some issues!!!  In fact the cataracts kept me indoors much of the time, much much too bright outside now, which is improving every day though.

 

 Male Bobolink in the south pasture

(photographs - © Bruce A. Morrison)

I did try and chase a male Bobolink around the south pasture in dark glasses right after the surgery - didn't want to wait as they're finishing up their nesting and will be gone very soon.  I know I've talked about Bobolinks before more than once; after they finish nesting they will flock up and move around to other areas and parts unknown...will have to wait till next year to see them again.  Anyway - thank goodness for auto focus telephoto lenses, its not easy focusing through dark glasses!

 "White Wild Indigo (Baptisia alba)"

(photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison)

Been loving the pastures this summer, so much blooming and each ear a surprise.  About 6 years or so ago I found leaves of a plant tat hadn't shown itself there before...I recognized it as a Baptisia.  The next year I lost track of it, then actually forgot about it.  A couple years ago I saw it again and then remembered the first sighting.  Its gotten bigger each year and this year went into bloom!  A gorgeous plant and blossoms, a Wild White Indigo (Baptisia alba).

(click to enlarge)

The pasture is going through a "bit" of a transition right now...is necessary but still more of a change than I'd like.  The process hasn't been finished yet because of the extreme heat we're experiencing right now (mid and upper nineties with dew points of 78-79) - not a good condition to be working outside.  The "process" is a new septic tank and fields...the fields being in the pasture.  Right now it appears we'll have about I/10th of an acre to rehabilitate when all is said and done.  Losing a few good clumps of Culver's Root and some other desirable plants but hopefully no more than that!
Trying to get on to my next painting - with a solo exhibit approaching faster each week, I'm starting to feel a bit of anxiety!  I hope the summer temps cool down a bit and maybe actually get some outside time with the camera too!

Hope you have a safe and pleasant summer out there...take care!

One Last Stab at Winter!

"Winter at Broken Kettle Grasslands"  

oil painting - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view)

3 weeks till Spring!  Can you tell I'm counting the days?!  Ha!  Well I really do not want to wish my days away so I'm not being quite that crazy - just looking forward to what the season change will bring.

But in the meantime I thought I'd work on a winter landscape that had been on my back-burner for several years; I don't do winter paintings or drawing that often and I thought what better time to get one done then before winter ends outside the studio.

The landscape is of a Nature Conservancy Preserve about and hour or so south and west of us - the Broken Kettle Preserve...an amazing place to visit if you have never been there!  This 3000 acre tallgrass prairie preserve has many native species that are usually only found west of the Missouri - extremely rare or unusual finds in Iowa.  It is the home to the largest 100% pure blood American Bison herds in Iowa as well as possibly the last place in the state with a breeding population of Prairie Rattlesnakes.  A really cool place!  Thank you to the Nature Conservancy for preserving and maintaining such a treasure!!!

Many years ago I did a quick painting of this preserve, more in an alla prima style (wet into wet) and I'll post that painting below.

"Broken Kettle Winter"  

oil painting - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view)  

Winter is noticeably waning now with the increased length of daylight and the snow melt that we're experiencing.  I'd say this really reminded me of winters back in the 50's and 60's when I was a kid...we had some January and February thaws and many snow events...also some pretty frigid temps off and on.  But now we're hearing rumblings of early migrations building 2-3 hours south of us and did actually have a small flock of geese pass by this morning!  Oh I love this time of the year with changes taking place and something new every day!

"Male Red-bellied Woodpecker"  

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view) 

 

The only drawback to all this is I am too easily distracted and have trouble staying on task inside at the easel!  A couple days ago was no exception with the bird traffic outside the window.  This nice Red-bellied Woodpecker thankfully sat still long enough for me to get a picture!  Looking forward to more distractions in the yard in coming weeks!

 

Enjoying the warmup, hope you are too!

 

Migration and Transition

 Fox Sparrow

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view)

Yes, I am still here, alive and kicking!  It has been a very busy fall so far here at the studio, and instead of being able to stop and reflect on what is transpiring around here, I've been just framing work for customers, printing to replace inventory and working on commissions for clients.  I'm afraid all work and no play "does" make Bruce a dull boy :(

 

 Harris' Sparrow (male)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view)

But it is definitely not dull outside the walls of this place!  As I work inside I'm always looking out the windows at the birds busily working about the yard and around the studio's bird feeders.  We are in the middle of the autumn migration and this seasonal transition does keep life interesting around here! 

 Blue Jay

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view)

 

Birds are "eye candy" for me; and they are likely more responsible for my turning to painting and photography than any other influence.  And it was my early experiences with birds that drew me into the natural world - opening that window to everything else out there; the landscape, and all the flora and fauna in that landscape.

 

 Dark-eyed Junco (male)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view)

 

I enjoy seeing familiar faces return each fall and spring!  Like little friends that cheer you with just their demeanor.  Some can be seen here all year long, like the Red-bellied Woodpecker seen below or the Blue Jay a couple spots above, but their activities and numbers become more prevalent and (in the Blue Jay's case) they can become quite boisterous!  Yesterday was a case in point when we were outside with family and a Blue Jay was doing a very good Red-tail Hawk rendition...you always have to do a double take around here with the Blue Jays.  Last winter one even pulled the wool over my eyes with an amazingly good Bald Eagle imitation!  It had me walking all over the yard watching it call so I didn't think I was losing my mind. (I was convinced I was hearing things!)

 

 Red-bellied Woodpecker (female)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view)

The Fox Sparrows at the top of the post are nearly gone now, passing through to the south, but the Harris' Sparrows and the Juncos are still here in good numbers; some seasons these two species stay all winter...I hope we'll get lucky again this year.

Others have "just" shown up; we had our first Pine Siskin of the fall yesterday and the Tree Sparrows were just outside the studio deck this morning eating the seeds off of the Big bluestem grasses we planted there...I imagine they're enjoying the bounty of grass and forb seeds in our prairie pasture as I type.  The Tree Sparrows will stay all winter long and be with us until March...I'll have to work on getting a nice photograph of one this winter...in between my puttering about with my daily chores inside.

Transitions are perpetual, change is inevitable...I the case of migration - I keep looking forward to it each season!

 

Past Ground Hog's Day!

 Red-bellied Woodpecker (male)

I must be too busy these days to keep up with the studio blog...its already a couple days past Ground Hog's day!  I guess he didn't see his shadow this year so we're in for an early spring!  Ha!  All in good fun.

I've been busy painting commissions this winter so don't have much to share yet.  But one thing that keeps things moving around here in the winter are the birds on the feeders outside the studio window.  One that's really pretty up close are the Red-bellied Woodpeckers! 

 Red-bellied Woodpecker (female)

 (Red-bellied male's head detail)

  (Red-bellied female's head detail)

The way to distinguish the males from the females is the nape on the female's head is all that's colored (red), while the nape and crown on the male are both colored.  You can also see a red flush around the bird's beak and cheeks...its more prevalent on the male's as well.

The name of this woodpecker seems to confuse a lot of people.  Its named for the "red belly" - a mere smudge of color hard to see as the bird crowds the tree trunks and branches as it moves about.

I like looking at February as a sign of spring - it is, after all, the last full month of winter!  Hope that Ground Hog was right!