Eastern Towhee

 

A little over a week ago I went to Silver Lake Recreation Area near Pickney, MI to hike some trails and take some photos.  I tried to sneak up on a few Towhees with no success.  Then I noticed this Towhee singing on a high branch without a care in the world.  Later that day I stopped by Dexter’s Side Door Gallery to see Valerie Mann’s “Fortunes” installation.  I feel fortunate to know such talented local artists like Valerie.  She’s a busy woman.  I believe she has work in three places….Ann Arbor, Dexter and Blissfield.  I’m hoping to see them all if time permits.

Ok, now I need to get back to work on a new linocut.  I put my bird project on hold to do a print of Chaloners Tobacco and magazine store in downtown Adrian….one of my favorite hangouts.  This print will be used…if it turns out…for the Art-a-licous Festival in September.

Northern Flicker, Yellow-shafted Male

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rummaging through my photos I found this one of a Northern Flicker.  I took this last winter on a Sunday morning.  I’m running low on bird photos so tomorrow I’m heading to Dexter to hike some trails and get some new bird close-ups.  My goal is to capture as many Nuthatches, Woodpeckers, Titmouses or Chickadees as possible.  This weekend I’m starting on some sketches for a new woodcut relating to birds and trees.  Birds and trees are not new to me.  The playground of my youth was the woods around Beaver Creek just outside of Adrian.  So, birds and trees have always been a part of my life.  But, this year my friends will tell you that birds have really been on my mind a lot lately.  It started with a purchase of the “Peterson’s Birding by Ear” CD from the Sugarland Nature Center in the Great Smoky Mountains.  I’ve had an Audubon Bird Guide for at least 10 years and it’s received plenty of use.  We keep it in the kitchen next to the binoculars so we can spy on birds eating from the feeders.  After I studied the cd’s for a month or so I took a beginners birding class at Hidden Lake Gardens.  I found that birding by ear is a good way to spot new birds.  The instructor identified the unseen birds first by ear.  If it was one that we hadn’t seen we scanned the trees.  Sometimes we spotted it and sometimes we didn’t.  About the same time I took the class a weird thing happened.  I dropped my Nikon binoculars on the kitchen floor and broke them.  A few days later my dad gave me a pair of Leopold binoculars that he won in a raffle.  I hadn’t even told him about my broken Nikon.  So, now I have a new set of binoculars that are smaller than my old pair with excellent optics.  With all this new birding knowledge I broke down and purchased a new book, “Sibley’s Eastern Bird Guide”.  It just came in the mail today and the first thing I do after I write this is crack it open….that and a cold brew…ha! 

Yellow-bellied Sap Sucker

Last weekend K and I braved the rain and canoed the AuSable with some friends.  It turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL weekend despite what the forecast called for.  I kept a tally of all the birds I heard and saw while canoeing.  This beauty came to visit us at our campsite at Parmalee.  It’s a hair out of focus but I was also making pancakes at the time =)  Since I do not want to post my current printmaking work until after my commissioner’s wedding, I will post a few birds instead.

Nurture

This is my first attempt at a concept that I came up with about a week ago.  I had to come up with a response piece to some printmaking work that I did with some kids from the Boys and Girls Club.  The Boys and Girls Club work and this piece are on display at the LCVA Gallery in Adrian, MI.  My challenge was to come up with a response piece that i can also use for a solo show later this fall.  This proof is somewhat crude for about 10 different reasons but it’s on the right track.  The ink was not entirely dry when I hand painted it and the rusty ink bled quite a bit.  I’ll paint another one in about a week.  Hopefully the ink will be drier by then.  I used shina wood with Flexcut tools.  

“Nurture”, Woodcut, 4×6

Barn Swallow

This Barn Swallow was pretty easy to snap a shot of considering it is nesting under the pontoon boat.  I use a Nikon D50 with a 55-200mm lens.  I’m trying to capture as many birds as possible to use as photo reference material for printmaking.  Swallows are much prettier in motion but I wasnt fast enough to catch one in flight….maybe next time.

 

Birding at HLG

Today was a busy day.  I spent the morning taking a birding class at Hidden Lake Gardens.  This is a photo of a Grey Catbird which didnt seem too upset about my presence.  I also saw a few Indigo Buntings, a Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Kingbird, Pileated Woodpecker, Song Sparrow and Red-eyed Vireo.  I did see a bunch of other common feeder birds such as Robins, Cardinals, Downey Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmouse and Gold Finches.  We heard a Yellow Warbler but never saw him.  Along the trails there were also nice blooms of Trillium…

and Columbine….

Here’s that Eastern Kingbird….

 

Under the Maple Tree

I havent posted any photos of prints lately, but I have been working feverishly on a few.  They are for a friend who asked if I would make a few prints for her wedding.  I dont plan on posting the photos until after the wedding.  But, I will post this photo which I used as inspiration.  I finished an 8×10 linocut similar to this photo last night.  I made some compositional changes in the final design.  I’m also working on a small 3×5 woodcut, which I already posted.  Since it was my first woodcut I may or may not use it.  It depends on how the prints turns out.  Anyway, this weekend I hung a new wire frame shelf in my studio to use as a drying rack.  I made a new printing board to hold my block in place while printing.  And, I ordered some new water soluable oil based ink from Daniel Smith and some Rives BFK paper.  As soon as it all comes in I’ll start hand pressing the prints.   

White Crowned Sparrow

Bird of the day…the White Crowned Sparrow.  I have been seeing them in numbers around the yard this week.  I believe these guys are just passing by as they head to Canada.  K spotted a Northern Oriole this morning but I couldnt get the camera out in time to get his pic.

Woodcut no. 2

As I pulled in the driveway coming home from work I noticed a box on my doorstep.  ”Yes!”, I said.  My wood finally arrived from McClains Printmaking Supply Store.  I ordered a box full of shina plywood as recommended by printmaker Annette Haines.  I couldn’t wait.  I pulled out my new Flexcut carving tools and got started right away.  My first attempt at woodcutting I used some dried up pieces of bark from Dick Blick which didnt cut very well.  This wood is much nicer and much softer.  Don’t look at the block too closely.  In my hurry to get started I used a liner to outline the leaf image as I normally do with lino, but it didn’t work too well.  I know I have to learn how to use a knife to exact more detail…..I just couldn’t hold myself back.  I plan on using a knife for the next one.

Chicago Boulevard, linocut, 11×17

I finally finished painting this today.  The ink took a few weeks to dry before I could hand paint this….probably because the furnace has not been running and it’s not as dry in the house as it is in the winter.  The ink is water soluble oil based ink by Daniel Smith.  I only printed three of these because I dont have the room to dry such large prints.

The image is of The Boulevard Market in Tecumseh, MI.  I plan on giving this print to the owners Erika and John Aylward for being so supportive of my work.