grizzly bear

Here’s an album of the art I created while I was traveling last month. I had a lot of fun drawing the alligators at the Okefenokee NWR and Harris Neck NWR. They’re good models because they don’t move much. There really is no substitute for drawing from live animals, although I took a ton of photos, too. Other than the one at the top, they’re in chronological order, starting with New York. All but one pencil sketch was done with a Sakura Micron .02 black pen. I used a Pentalic Nature Sketch 7×5″ sketchbook, a very handy size. Drawings on white paper are difficult to scan or photograph. I lightened them as much as I could.

Calfornia sea lion, Central Park Zoo, New York

Resting grizzly bear, Central Park Zoo, New York

Turtles, snow leopard cub, Central Park Zoo, New York

Pronghorn head mount and hat, Explorers Club, New York

Cheetah mount, Explorers Club, New York; White ibis, Okefenokee NWR, Georgia

Ibis in tree — White ibis in tree, Okefenokee NWR, Georgia

Water lily, Okefenokee NWR, Georgia; River cooter (turtle), Harris Neck NWR, Georgia

Alligator 2 — Alligator, Harris Neck NWR, Georgia

Alligator leg 3 — Alligator front leg, Harris Neck, NWR. Georgia

Alligator Crazy 4 — “Crazy”, 12′ long, 800-900 lb. bull alligator, Okefenokee Swamp Park, Georgia

Farmstead, Okefenokee Swamp Park, Georgia

Alligator details 5 — Alligator details, Okefenokee Swamp Park, Georgia

Bald Cypress tree — Bald cypress tree, Okefenokee NWR, Georgia

Cypress roots — Bald cypress roots, Okefenokee NWR, Georgia

Cypress and alligator — Bald cypress, American alligator, Okefenokee NWR, Georgia

Live oak and moss — Live oaks and Spanish moss, Fort Clinch State Park, Amelia Island, Florida

Savannah, egrets — Savannah NWR, South Carolina

Pencil birds — Birds, Hudson River Valley, New York State

When I got back north and was up in the Hudson River Valley, I visited Olana, the home of American artist Frederic Church. The house wasn’t open but the grounds were. It was windy and pretty cold, but I was determined to do at least a couple of watercolors since the view from the house is famous and has been painted by a number of artists over the years.

Hudson River from Olana, New York State; 8×8″

Catskills from Olana — Catskill Mountains from Olana, New York State; 8×8″

I also spent a couple of days with an artist friend at his home in the Hudson River Valley. We spent one morning on location at this lovely pond.

Pond wc — Pond, Hudson River Valley, New York State; 8×8″

It’s clear that one lesson we, as a species MUST learn, is to share. All of these animals have just as much right to be here as we do. As they go, in the end, so shall we.

I’ve never made a point, for the most part, of specifically seeking out endangered or threatened species to photograph for my paintings. But, as it’s happened, in less than ten years I’ve seen two dozen, plus one, all in the wild. Quite a surprise, really.

Sometimes they’ve been pretty far away, but that in no way diminished the thrill of seeing them. Close-ups in a zoo or other captive animal facility can be useful, within certain limits, but seeing a wild animal in its own habitat, even at a distance, is much more satisfying and gives me ideas and information for my work that I couldn’t get any other way.

In no particular order, because they are all trying to survive on this planet: