Meadowlark

Meadowlark

Ink. watercolor & graphite 

pn the inside of an antiques book cover.

SOLD

 

Naturalist Study of a Green Heron

Green Heron

Ink, watercolor, gouache & graphite. On the inside of an antiqued book cover.

The inspiration behind this painting...a beautiful summer day, 

lunch by a small pond near a large body of water, 

and an observant companion who pointed out the difficult to spot, 

almost motionless, small, stocky bird wading along the shoreline, 

waiting for a small fish or frog to approach within striking range.

As I recorded my observations of this Green Heron, 

I thought of naturalists like John James Audubon and Mark Catesby

and how they too had observed these birds stalking prey 

along the wetlands in colonial America.

Hence, my calligraphic notations and marginalia 

depicting anatomical references, as well as additional observational sketches.

The dragonfly, the cattails, the nest, bring together

the character of the species as well as a cohesion of age 

thus fulfilling my desire to create each painting 

with the appearance of having an historical past