The midday natural light was so soft and dim that I quickly snapped a couple photos of a portion of my natural history collection display shelf.
Stacks of urchins and jars of feathers...
An old book plate depicting varieties of anemones that I framed up a while back...
Crab shells and rocks and various bits and bobs...
In the studio, I have this old box of mostly bird illustrations that I've cut up and set aside for collages and inspiration. I've used some of them, but I really just enjoy looking at the melange of different bird heads and colors all living hectically (yet peacefully) together.
First and foremost, I've finally (!) listed the first of I hope many paintings of a new collection of work I hinted at earlier (the sketch of the first piece is above). I'm taking my time with this series because I have so many ideas for paintings for it and I really don't want to burn myself out before I can finish them all (which tends to happen frequently if I give myself a firm deadline). I'm literally bursting at the seams with painting ideas! A brief synopsis of the ongoing collection:
This little fella has been done for a few weeks now and thankfully, is 
Quite a few of the paintings in this series will have gilding--some of my most intricate gold leaf work to date (it can be challenging to work with, but I'm getting better at it). I just love how much depth, symbolism, and moodiness it gives to a piece. It fits the overall theme of this collection quite nicely.
{a stargazing time-lapse photo taken from my back deck late at night last month}
I'm three weeks into volunteering at a nearby wildlife rehabilitation center and it is *amazing*. Every week I go in, throw on the scrubs, and get to feed/help injured or abandoned wildlife and get them ready to release back into their environment.
We rescue a wide variety of animals: eagles, owls, falcons, rabbits, opossums, squirrels, raccoons, ospreys, and other birds and small mammals. This week we even rescued a newborn river otter who was, unfortunately, stolen from her nest by a careless resident. She is the most adorable little thing (her eyes and ears are even still closed!) and will be in our care for quite a while until we can locate an adult otter to place her with (not an easy task, indeed). Lately, I've been involved in the constant feeding of 27 baby opossums, two resident owls, and several large bald eagles (who still amaze and thrill me every time I tiptoe into their cages to clean and feed).
Oh, and the meerkats too, of course. Good thing there was a thick wall of glass between us or else he would have mysteriously made his way home with me. This sly fellow is up to something, me thinks...
...My favorite Cousteau quote.
When I return, I'll be putting a handful of paintings in the shop from my most recent show at 
While most of the US is having quite the hellish winter, here in the Pacific Northwest it's almost as if Winter just forgot about us completely. It's really weird. The temperatures are in the 50s-60s (our January was the warmest we've ever had in history) and the plants and trees are waking up from their slumber--over 3 months too early.
A couple days ago I trekked an hour north-westward to 
Beautiful old trees...
...lots of mossy covered limbs...
...fungus growths of all sorts...
It's quite heavenly. And after a little 20 minute hike down the path, the trees part ways and you're left stunned by the ocean view.
It was a gorgeous day to be out there. Sunny and clear at first and then the gray afternoon storm clouds began to roll in from the coast.
Way, way out there is the Pacific Ocean.
It's a beauty. Perfectly entwined twigs and grasses, with remnants of leaves and flower blossoms tucked inside. It's still pretty damp from the rain so I currently have it in the garage drying out a bit.
Someone, though, had to check it out for herself.
After a lot of sniffing and prodding, the nest has passed the cat's inspection and all is right with the world.
I also found some great little mushrooms out back that made for a perfect day of sketching and studying.
These little ones are very small and spindly--the caps measuring roughly the size of a fingernail.
Back to the pencils and paints I go! Happy Friday and enjoy your Halloween festivities, folks! I'm hoping to trek out to my favorite old movie theater for a night of horror film classics, candy, and costumed frivolities. Can't wait!
Fall is my favorite time of year and I just can't get enough of it. Unfortunately, in the Pacific Northwest it lasts a very short few weeks (if that) before the gray and gloom and drizzle of Winter sets in. The trees right now are alive and vibrant in shades of red, magenta, and electric yellow.
All of these pictures were taken earlier in the week right in my own backyard. The Japanese Maple looked like a flaming ball of red leaves, all a'glow even at night.
And the cherry tree was a massive trunk of golden yellow. 
A few windy days later and now most of the leaves are on the ground, leaving me with a view of bare branches for the next 6 months...
In-between admiring the trees, I've been adding bits and bobs to my curiosity cabinet. This small rock crab shell spent an hour at my work table for some TLC and varnishing to fix some cracking issues. He's all better now and living it up with his (dead) shellfish friends on my mantle.
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