Watercolor Workshop-Finishing the Osprey Painting

This is the second part of a two-part post, a step-by-step
of a scene depicting a Scottish osprey spending his winter in Senegal. It’s for
an upcoming book by Alan Poole.







Here is an ultra close up of the beach and wave interface.
You can see the masking fluid, dried, still adhering to the paper. You can also
see that I’ve sprinkled kosher salt into the dark wet wash. Salt is

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Watercolor Painting Workshop-Osprey!

I’ve been blessed with a commission, doing five or so
paintings for an upcoming book by Alan Poole, one of the world’s foremost
authorities on ospreys. You may remember him, last seen cooking local bay
scallops for me and Erin in his lovely coastal Massachusetts home. I’ve worked
with Alan for a decade starting in 1991, in his former capacity as Editor of The Birds of North America: Life

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

I've Got a Girl Crush

Yep, I stole the name for this post from a popular song. I first heard it on the Grammy Awards show and was smitten. If you don't already know it, I think you'll like it.


Hear it in Little Big Town's video here.


Interesting that many country radio stations won't play this hypnotic waltz, because some listeners accuse stations that do give it airtime of "promoting the 'gay agenda'." Good

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Love at First Sight

I first photographed them on January 25, 2017, way out in the meadow. I could only see enough on them to know I didn't recognize them: three deer: a doe and twins, with black briskets. Black briskets are something I see in deer now and then, a trait that seems to run in families. They show up well in poor light and at a distance. I have to think such distinguishing characteristics help deer tell

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The Zen of Shed Hunting

This is how it feels to find a beautiful shed. "Shed" is what country folks call dropped antlers. You start looking for them in December, and you keep looking for them, off and on, all year long.

This was my first in years. Decades. Found Feb. 6, 2015.









You're walking along, and there it is. That's my favorite thing about finding them. Your mind can be a million miles away and

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Buffy Facts

Buffy comes into the yard to clean up bird seed and cracked corn, but she hasn't gotten the hang of it just yet. She needs to fine-tune her arrival time earlier in the day, before the blue jays get all the corn.






Get a load of her chin and throat whiskers! Buffy! You should be tweezing. Some of those suckers are 6" long!







I've learned that when Buffy's in the sideyard, Flag and

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Happy Birthday, Corey!

Ut-oh. I've never done a birthday post for someone who wasn't an official member of the family, or our dog. What could it mean? Well, today is Corey's birthday; I'm breaking my rule because he's 22 today I say I say I say he's TWENTY-TWO YEARS OLD and that, son, is not very old for all the things that boy can do.






Just picked up ukelele, then guitar, and he's already good at it, durn him.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Talking to the Neighbors

As I continue to recover from surgery and shingles, feeling around to find my strength and wellness again, I'm slowly upping my hours and miles back to something that feels normal. I try to surpass 10,000 steps per day. It feels so good to cover some ground again. I'm not sure when running is going to feel right again. Hoping it will. Ankles hurt all the time. Not sure what that's about.



For

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Meet Buffy

Who's that behind the fallen pine?







Oh, my deer. Something's wrong.





December 14, 2016. I'm watching Pinky and Flag, Ellen's orphans, when I see an adult doe hanging shyly behind the dying pines in our back yard. She's holding her left eye mostly closed, and there's a big tear streak running down her cheek.

I study her hard, looking for distinctive characteristics. Do I know this

reade more... Résuméabuiyad