We Take A Drive Up The Coast On Solstice

Posted on December 24, 2012 by foxstudio

I’ve spent most of my life in northern coastal California. And love it here. We’re within the sound of the ocean and only a half hour from Redwood National Park.

We went for a drive on Solstice in between storm fronts and found some lovely light, rainbows, Roosevelt elk and crashing waves.

Here’s an “album” of my favorite photos as a holiday gift from me to you, my friends and fans. Thank you for your interest in my goings-on and I hope you have a great 2013!

Roosevelt elk bulls, hanging out together again after the yearly rut

Roosevelt elk bulls can weigh up to 900 pounds.

Rainbow at Dry Lagoon State Park with Goat Rock in the background.

Rainbow over the Pacific Ocean.

Storm clouds coming in.

Surf’s up.

Every winter the ocean breaches the spit between it and Stone Lagoon.

Redwood Creek was running full. Usually we can continue down the gravel onto the beach.

This vernal pond, backed by red alders, was hosting some hooded merganser ducks.

On the way home, we could see the next storm coming in and we got caught in a short spat of heavy hail.

Mongolia Monday-WildArt Mongolia Expedition News!

Posted on May 29, 2012 by foxstudio

Journeys like the WildArt Mongolia Expedition don’t happen without help and support. I’m very pleased to announce that a French conservation organization, Association GOVIIN KHULAN, dedicated to the khulan or Mongolian Wild Ass, has consented to lend their name and expertise to me in the person of the President, Anne-Camille Souris, who has carried out research on khulan and, before that, takhi, for many years. We have also been Facebook friends for quite awhile and hope to finally meet in person in Ulaanbaatar at the end of August.

Anne-Camille did her takhi, and some of her past khulan research, at Takhiin Tal, one of the three destinations for the Expedition. She will be providing information and answering questions for both species and also the place where they live.

Writing in my journal, the Gobi, August 2010

One of the areas where our interests intersect is the use of art to promote conservation. Anne-Camille has established a sub-group within the Association called the Goviin Khulan Art Alliance whose mission is “Mongolian Art and Culture in Support of Biodiversity Conservation” through which she involves Mongolian artists in a variety of media to help “Reinforce links between Mongolian culture and traditions with the endangered Mongolian Khulan, other species, and nature protection.”

Since wildlife art fieldwork, as it is known among western wildlife artists, is not really known in Mongolia, I am now affiliated with this project as a Wildlife Expert so that I can be available as a resource for Mongol artists who are interested in this approach to animal art, which requires certain wildlife approach skills, specialized camera equipment and a willingness to research the natural history and behavior of one’s subjects.

I’m hoping in the next few weeks that Anne-Camille will be able to tell you herself through a guest post about her organization and about the khulan, a species that I myself have not seen yet.

New Painting Debut! “Up Close-Sally Lightfoot Crab”

Posted on May 25, 2012 by foxstudio

“Up Close-Sally Lightfoot Crab” 20×46″ oil

Definitely a change of pace for me, this painting is the first one of three for the upcoming Sea of Cortez group show, which will open at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum on March 16, 2013. You can read about the trip and see some of the drawings I’ve done and photos I shot here.

While I was on the trip with 30 of my colleagues in March of 2011, we had access to a very nice fishing yacht whose owners generously took us out to an island that not only had these colorful, irresistible-as-subjects crabs, but also California sea lions and many species of birds.

I knew as soon as I saw them that I would want to paint one. Fortunately, there was also a Zodiac (small pontoon boat) that got us right up to the rocks. That and fast shutter speeds and I got some great reference.

Here’s the step-by-step of “Up Close-Sally Lightfoot Crab”:

Here’s how I was able to get such great shots. We were able to get REALLY close to them.

Reference photo; I knew from the beginning that I wanted to paint the crab BIG and crop in for a horizontal rectangle. I used other photos for comparison and to change the position slightly of one leg.

Preliminary graphite study, 7×17″; to learn my subject, ensure that the composition worked and to establish the value pattern

Color rough, 6×14″; this is a really different color palette for me compared to the more restrained earth tones I use for my Mongolian subjects. Can’t remember the last time I used red and yellow pretty much right out of the tube.

Grid transfer in pencil; Raymar canvas board is tinted with raw sienna

The brush drawing. I realized after I’d done the one from the pencil drawing that the crab wasn’t nearly big enough, so I wiped if off and re-drew it. By this time I’d done the graphite study and the color rough, so I “knew” him/her pretty well and it didn’t take long.

First color pass

This is a little more than half-way there. The next step was to catch the background up with the crab and then move on to the legs and claws and then go back and tweak everything until it was done.

“Up Close-Sally Lightfoot Crab” 20×46″ oil

I thought I’d share some details of the crab and the background.

The crab was on a rock totally encrusted with barnacles. I had absolutely zero interest in painting 50 gazillion of them, so instead I analyzed the visual texture and values and then indicated those in a variety of colors and values.

But just to make sure the viewer knows what they are, I did a few more finished ones in the lower right hand corner.

The eyes were fun. The challenge was to get expression, to have the viewer feel that the crab is looking right at them.

The next painting for the show will truly be something completely different…a landscape with Nacapuli Canyon as its subject, with a special extra thrown in.

Mongolia Monday: 5 Photos of Favorite Places- Baga Gazriin Chuluu Nature Reserve

Posted on March 5, 2012 by foxstudio

This will be a occasional, on-going series of images of my favorite places in Mongolia. Baga Gazriin Chuluu means “Small Earth/Land Rocks”. There is also an Ikh Gazriin Chuluu (Great Earth Rocks), but I haven’t gotten there yet.

In July of 2009, my driver/guide and I pulled into the ger camp, which is located in the reserve and got settled in. I came out of my ger and was greeted with this amazing light and a woman riding down the valley. I had a feeling I was going to like this place.

It was my good luck to be there on the day of a local mountain blessing ceremony or local naadam. There was a horse race, wrestling, anklebone shooting and lots of people just riding around on their horses.

Seeing argali was my purpose for going there and within a couple of hours the first morning, my driver spotted this group of rams within sight of the car.

The following year, 2010, I got to go back as the first stop on a two-week camping trip. Here's the spot my driver/guide (same one as in 2009) picked.

Driving around, we came upon a short valley which had a number of cinereous vulture nests, including this one with a juvenile who was almost ready to fly. We climbed up on the rocks to get above him and I got some great photos.

There are more photos of Baga Gazriin Chuluu, including the story of my first trip there in 2009 here.

New Website And A Very Special Endorsement

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Posted on January 28, 2012 by foxstudio

Mongolia Monday- Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve

Posted on October 24, 2011 by foxstudio

We arrived at the Steppe Nomads ger camp at Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve with a broken rear spring on the Land Cruiser, not sure what this meant for the remainder of the trip. While Pokey and I settled in, Khatnaa got on his mobile phone and called the Nomadic Journeys’ office to sort things out. We got laundry done and took welcome hot showers.

That night, at dinner, Khatnaa explained the situation. He would need to take the car out to the tarmac road (13km on earth road each way to get to and from the reserve) the next afternoon to meet up with someone from UB who would bring the new spring out. Then it would have to be installed. How long? Half a day. Did we want the office to also send out a new guide and driver to finish the trip or would we wait for the repair? That decision took about two seconds….we’d wait and finish the trip together. In any case, Pokey and I weren’t sorry to have a break to simply hang around camp and relax.

Khatnaa then said that the car was drivable, with care, and we would go out the next morning at 6am, which is exactly what we did. I was impressed by what he considered staying on “easy” roads. We parked and took a good, long hike down to where he thought we might see argali, which we spotted off in the distance almost as soon as we stopped to glass the mountain.

We also got great photos of a big herd of Mongol horses and cranes, but really had to dodge the mosquitos. Back at the ger camp around 1pm, Khatnaa grabbed a quick lunch and took off. To our surprise and pleasure he was back at 5:15, after having to replace BOTH back springs because the replacement was longer than the original one. Dinner was quite festive with beers all around.

We only had one day at Gun-Galuut, but it was a full one, packed with great scenery and animals.

Steppe Nomads Tourist Camp

Morning coffee in front of my ger in my comfy Mongol del and felt slippers

Early morning light along the Kherlen Gol with Baits Uul ahead on the right

12-13 argali grazing; look in the middle among the shrubs for the white dots which are their rumps; why good binoculars are a must

Riverside view

Local herder's gers with a line of grey herons in front

I believe this is a Japanese quail chick

The horses we got great photos of, with the ger camp in the background; they were in the water to get away from the mosquitos

Endangered white-napped cranes

Small toad

Frog

Wetland and mountain, with cranes

More of the horses; in the afternoon a breeze had come up which kept the mosquitos away, from us at least

Sometimes the action got pretty hot and heavy

First time I ever saw a caterpiller in Mongolia

That evening Khatnaa told us that the next day’s drive wouldn’t be a long one, so we would go out into the reserve in the morning and leave after lunch. We went around the “backside” of the mountain, the side away from the river, parked in a draw, got out and almost immediately spotted four big rams running over a ridge to our right. I only was able to get a couple of butt shots before they were gone. But, within minutes, we spotted an argali ewe and lamb to our left. And then a large group moving up the draw directly in front of us, but a pretty long ways off. It’s estimated that there are less than 100 argali in Gun-Galuut, so we saw a fairly good percentage of the population in two tries.

Argali Ewe and lamb

Good-sized spider

We drove to the next draw over where we hoped the argali rams had gone, but saw no one. Pokey wanted to do some sketching, so she stayed with the car while Khatnaa and I hiked up onto the mountain again. Coming around a ridge, the view opened up to the entire river valley. We found a couple of rocks to sit on and simply enjoyed the scenery for a half hour. It was so quiet, except for the occasional animal. No cars, no planes, no radios, no voices. Just. Quiet. One of the things I treasure about being in the Mongolian countryside.

View of the Kherlen Gol valley, looking east

Of course I had to have my picture taken

Back down on the wetland, we spotted a whooper swan

A beautiful butterfly

And on the other side of the river, a pair of demoiselle cranes

On our way out of the reserve that afternoon, we stopped by this small lake to photograph another whooper swan

This enormous coal mine at Baikhanuur is visible from the road to and from the reserve

Next week: Onward to Jalman Meadows in the Hentii Mountains

Mongolia Monday- Not MORE Argali? Four Great Days At Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve

Posted on October 10, 2011 by foxstudio

Those of you who have followed this blog for awhile know that I’ve been going to Ikh Nart since my first trip in 2005. This time I had the pleasure of sharing the reserve with a fellow artist, Pokey Park.

Wildlife being what it is, one never knows what one will see on a given trip, or even if. But this visit exceeded our every reasonable expectation. For two of the four days, it seemed like we could hardly go an hour as we drove around the reserve without seeing argali, ibex, argali and ibex in the same place or cinereous vultures, a golden eagle or other birds. And we had sightings both other days, but not nearly as often.

The universe being what it is, on our way out of the reserve we drove through one of the areas where we had had multiple sightings of argali and ibex the previous morning and saw not a single animal.

We stayed at Nomadic Journey's Red Rock Ger Camp

Ikh Nart landscape

Scanning for argali and ibex

But I was the lucky one who first spotted a single ram, who then joined up with a big group making ten all together. What a sight they were!

We maneuvered through the rocks, caught up and re-sighted them three times

They've seen something, we had no idea what

Golden eagle

A herder's winter shelter for his livestock

One of the pictographs on the rock cliff

We went to the valley where the research camp is located and got great sightings of a large group of ibex

And for a bonus, a beautiful sunset

We also were able to follow this group of ewes and lambs

How many sheep can you see?

They are totally at home in these rocky uplands

Black kite

We drove south to see the pictographs and Tibetan inscriptions on the cliff in the background

Pokey helped fill the troughs; it's a Mongol tradition that passersby will fill them if they are empty

Ibex pictograph; researchers have just started to catalog and study the cultural resources of the reserve, of which there are many

Argali ewe and lamb

Argali ram

Next week, it’s on to Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve.

Mongolia Monday- Real Mongolian BBQ (Boodog)

Posted on June 20, 2011 by foxstudio

Siberian marmot in Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve, July 2009

Summer is here and I thought I’d present a photo essay on one of the most beloved foods in Mongolia….marmot. Say “tarvaga” to the average Mongolian and watch their eyes light up.

Unfortunately, the native Siberian marmots have gone from occupying the steppes in the millions to Endangered in just ten years, having experienced a 70% population drop. The major contributor to this decline was a demand for the pelts by….the Chinese.

Hunting is still allowed during August and September, depending on population numbers, according the species listing in the IUCN Red List. Hunting can also be shut down if bubonic plague flairs up. It turns out that marmots in Mongolia are the source vector for the bubonic plague that hit Europe in the 1340s. The Mongols know that if they see a marmot behaving strangely, then it is likely that plague is present.

Marmots in Hustai National Park, May 2005

The cooking traditions surrounding marmot in Mongolia is the stuff of visitor legend. A number of the travel accounts I’ve read have an account of the preparation of marmot, always with a “and you won’t believe this, but….” tone.

I finally had my chance to try it last year. Since this was a personal extension of hospitality to me because they knew I liked Mongol food, I will allow my hosts to remain anonymous.

(Important note: if you are squeamish or think that meat starts out wrapped in cellophane, you may want to stop reading here. This photo essay will show the whole process from beginning to end.)

Any Mongols reading this are invited to add comments, stories, corrections in the comment section. This is accurate to the best of my knowledge, based on what I saw and was told.

Stove heating up rocks and marmot carcass ready to stuff

The meat is stuffed back into the carcass, along with the hot rocks, which will cook the meat from the inside; the cook made sure that the carcass was stuffed with rocks all the way down into the hind legs

Pounding the meat and rocks down into the carcass

Closing the neck opening with wire

Then we all adjourned to this beautful spot by the river for picnic dinner

Now for the famous part: removing the fur with a portable torch

A helper scrapped the singed fur off and also the fat as it came to the surface

The next step was to wipe down the carcass with bunches of grass and then rinse and scrub it with water

The neck wire was removed and the juice poured into a cup, which was then handed to me. I drank it right down and it was quite good

Then the carcass was split open to get at the chunks of meat; I was also given the tongue and it was good, too

Dinner is served

As is traditional, the hot rocks were passed around for health and good luck

We also had cabbage salad, everything washed down with Mongolian vodka. We had been drinking airag, but my guide said that airag and boodog don't mix, so we switched to the vodka. Did I say I was having a great time?

Not much left. I ate my share. Yes, it was good. Really good

Notice the back paw has four toes and the front paw has five; why this is true will be the subject of my next Mongolia Monday post

Fieldwork And Fun On The East Coast

Posted on May 13, 2011 by foxstudio

I’m back from my latest trip, which was a great combination of work and play.

It started with being one of the jurors for the Society of Animal Artists‘ prestigious national juried show “Art and the Animal” which, along with the board meeting the next day, was held at the legendary Salmagundi Art Club, located on 5th Avenue in New York. And ended with a walk through the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in central New Jersey

In between, there was a great road trip with fellow Society members and friends, Guy Combes and Andrew Denman. We had a jam-packed five days that included a visit to the Delaware Natural History Museum, Longwood Gardens, Assateague and Chincoteague Islands, the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, the Brandywine River Museum and the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey.

Here’s an album of the highlights:

First was Longwood Gardens, at one time a Du Pont family property.

Longwood Gardens spring border with foxglove

A favorite; Longwood Gardens varigated pineapple

A wall of orchids at Longwood Gardens

Then it was off to the Delaware coast where a comfortable condo had been put at our disposal. I had read “Misty of Chincoteague” as a child and was excited to finally visit both it and Assateague National Seashore, where we turned out to be in the right place at the right time to record this stunning encounter between two young stallions. It went on for at least a half hour and these are just a few of the hundreds of photos I shot, but it shows the pattern of interaction that emerged and was repeated at least a half dozen times.

First we saw this chestnut horse grazing off in the distance

Then this paint horse came strolling down the middle of the road right past us

He walked out to the edge of the water

And waded across to the spit

He winnied loudly a few times and then waited

The chestnut we'd seen earlier came at a fast trot

The two stopped and seemingly sized each other up

The meeting

The nose touch

A quick turn and a kick by one of them

Then they would rear up and "grapple"

Maneuvering for advantage

Both would go down on their knees head to head

And then it would start again

And it all happened in this tremendous setting of water and tideland

What an eyeful that was! We drove on, stopping to hike a number of trails, seeing a variety of birds and more horses.

From Assateague, we took a “detour” to Salisbury, Maryland to visit the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, which houses an incredible collection of hand-carved birds. Then it was back out to the coast to Chincoteague Island.

I was dubious at first, since the entry point to the island is a town that, although having lovely old buildings, was definitely a tourist destination. But I need not have worried. Once east of town and into the refuge, we were in a wonderland of scenery and wildlife.

The scenery was stunning

One of the highlights- multiple sightings of glossy ibis

And of course there were the famous Chincoteague ponies

Out on the beach were large numbers of very entertaining Franklin's gulls

And perched on the causeway railing in great light was this, I believe, Forster's tern

The next day, after a visit to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., Andrew had to catch a plane home, but Guy and I soldiered on, paying a visit to the Brandywine River Museum, home to an astonishing collection of original illustration by N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle and many other legendary illustrators, along with galleries featuring both Andrew and Jamie Wyeth. Very inspiring, to say the least.

The final wildlife stop on the trip was the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in central New Jersey. Surrounded by rural residential development, it is essentially a bowl between the hills that collects water, forming rich swamp and wetland habitats. The main access is a boardwalk trail that winds through the swamp out to a large bird blind. But we were barely one hundred feet down the trail when the wildlife show began.

The Great Swamp

One of the first sightings, a green frog

Then we spotted two northern black racers mating right below where we were standing

It was a bit of a challenge, but I did get a few shots of this chipmunk

For the finale, I got a good look at a snapping turtle

I spent the last night of the trip at the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum cottage where Guy is the artist in residence, along with a groundhog and eastern cottontail rabbits. The groundhog managed to stay out of camera range, but I did get some good photos of the bunnies.

Eastern cottontail rabbit

Mongolia Monday- The Story Of A New Argali Painting, Part 1

Posted on April 25, 2011 by foxstudio

I completed a major painting last week. It’s one I’ve been anxious to take on since I spent a hour with a group of five argali rams this past July at Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve. I was there for six days, staying in one of the gers and taking meals with the scientists and an Earthwatch team.

I’d gotten up at 5:30am, thrown on the clothes that I’d laid out the night before, hoisted my camera pack onto my shoulder, slipped out of the ger and began a slow, careful walk down the valley.

I had learned that the only water in the area was coming from a spring just a few dozen yards from camp and that argali were coming to the valley regularly in the morning and evening. Which was quite convenient, saving me a lot of walking around and clambering over rocks trying to find them.

I picked a spot and sat down in plain view, having been told that makes them less nervous than if you try to hide behind a rock. Took a look around through my binoculars and, within a few minutes, up on the cliffs to my right…

Morning "scouts".

As I watched them, wondering if anyone was going to come down, I had a feeling…and looked back over my shoulder to my left.

Less than 100 feet away.

How long they had been standing there watching me, I have no idea. Then they started to move towards the stream bed.

Oh, look, there's three!

Coming down the hill.

As I watched, the sun started to hit the tops of the cliffs. Would I get to see these guys in morning light before activity in the camp behind me spooked them?

Out into the valley as the sun comes up.

The first three crossed the stream bed to a small clump of trees. Two more rams had come down from the cliffs on the right. The Sunrise Boy’s Club was now in session.

Five rams hanging out.

There were three older adults with massive horns and two younger rams. The big guys were almost grey, their juniors a reddish-brown.

They browsed in the trees, did a little pre-rut testing (a future painting). And then….

Noise from camp. Oh, no.

But everyone settled back down. Except for this young one who decided to check me out, walking almost straight towards me. It made the others nervous at first, but they didn’t run.

It was a bit much for the three older rams.

I sat there in disbelief. For me, this is the grail of wildlife fieldwork: sitting out in plain view and having a wild creature choose to approach you.

He finally stopped and looked straight at me from about 30 feet away.

But I wasn’t so paralyzed with delight that I forgot to take pictures, getting the best argali head reference I’ve shot so far.

Returning to the group.

He finally turned and walked back to the others who, as you can see, are standing there, watching. I found myself running this little thought thread: “We didn’t get this old and big by being stupid. Let the young guy check her out.” And then imagining the adventurous ram, kind of like a young British officer, reporting back to his superiors. “No problem, sir. None at all. Piece of cake.”

I guess I was just part of the furniture by now.

But he wasn’t done yet. For a second time, he walked down the stream bed towards me.

Comfortable enough to put his head down and graze.

He finally rejoined the group. Suddenly they were up on their feet just as the light was starting to reach the valley floor. Oh, no! They’re facing the wrong way. Are they going to run up the hill?

Up on their feet.

Suddenly one of the young rams turned and bounded into the light. Yes!

Into the light. At last!

And everyone else followed, crossing right in front of me and occasionally stopping for a nibble.

A short pause.

But now I could hear movement in the camp. The group split up, two of the rams going up into the rocks.

One went right up the cliff face.

Three of them walked on down the valley in the bright sunshine.

Time to move on.

I looked behind me and saw one of the scientists from the camp. He walked past me. The rams kept moving, but never ran. It’s good they’ve learned that in this place they don’t have to fear people.

Last look.

The three finally made a right turn up into the cliffs, stopping, as argali often do, to take one last look.

On Friday, Part 2 will present a step-by-step post on the painting that came out of this wonderful experience.

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Susan Fox

American Artist

Category Archives: Wildlife

We Take A Drive Up The Coast On Solstice

Mongolia Monday-WildArt Mongolia Expedition News!

New Painting Debut! “Up Close-Sally Lightfoot Crab”

Mongolia Monday: 5 Photos of Favorite Places- Baga Gazriin Chuluu Nature Reserve

New Website And A Very Special Endorsement

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Mongolia Monday- Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve

Mongolia Monday- Not MORE Argali? Four Great Days At Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve

Mongolia Monday- Real Mongolian BBQ (Boodog)

Fieldwork And Fun On The East Coast

Mongolia Monday- The Story Of A New Argali Painting, Part 1

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