Hike the trails but find the deer in my own yard.

It was hot with gusts of wind towards the end of the day. We headed into the woods and up the hill. I felt the wonderful cool of the woods envelope me as we stepped into the shade. The harsh bright sunlight changed to a lovely tree dappled light.  Here we could hear the birds and as we hiked we listened to the stories that the birds were sharing. Solitary songbirds sang here and there. Raucous blackbirds yelled and fought over their supper.  Several hawks soared on thermals over the woods. We even thought we saw a buzzard circling high above our trail. My legs were tired at that point...but I don't think that I was that close to being done....so I don't think he was there for me.

The woods are in full bloom with wild flowers of all types blooming every where...we were walking in natures bouquet....it was amazing. At top of our hike...we stopped to just look around and found a handful of wild strawberries and their amazing taste of summer.

As we came down the mountain we heard the call of an owl which led us on a wild owl search through the wild rose bushes. We never found the owl but I did indeed learn a new respect for wild rose bushes. My legs still reflecting on that wisdom this morning. Always in the woods we enjoy the chance to see what animals are there...so it was birds, marmots and chipmucks.
But it wasn't till we were having a late supper at home that we were lucky enough to see two young deer as they snacked on our willow tree before heading into the neighboring old orchard.

On the easel I have a small painting of a mallard hen and her ducklings. I just jumped into this painting starting with the hen and have been adding ducklings here and there... painting this one in a kind of crazy unplanned way. My otter painting is basically complete and I am just studying it for a few days to see if I need to add anything to it. I will post these soon.

Kayak Camping

My art is based on my deep appreciation for the outdoors and the plants and animals that live there. So it is really important to get out and seek out the experiences that I will later represent in my paintings.

Well at least that is my excuse for the great long weekend that I just spent on the water with my brother. It was a 5 hour kayak trip in the Kootneys paddling up an isolated chain of lakes to spend several nights camping on a 3 acre island. What a great way to spend time. Our island was in the center of the lake with 360 degrees of the most beautiful and peaceful views. The paddle was long but the destination was worth it.

The weather was most interesting but our camping gear stood up to the challenge of keeping us warm and dry. My brother is an excellent kayak paddler and a skilled outdoors man. We told stories, bragged outrageously about our past year's accomplishments and wrote the most excellent poetry around our campfire. That campfire survived the downpours and cooked our tinfoil wrapped dinners. Jiffy popcorn and Sweet Caroline toasted the rise of the moon at midnight on the solstice.

Thanks to my brother for a great time enjoying the Kootneys in a Kayak!

For me, nature is where I reconnect with myself. The smoke of the campfire lifts my worries and stress then lets them drift away on the prevailing wind.  So now refreshed and inspired I return to the studio.

Otters in the Water

Well all my recent commissions are complete and on their way to their new homes. I am honored to have had the opportunity to create art that combines two visions into one. It is the chance to paint a gift from the heart, a painting that is painted for one special person with allot of thought into who they are and what they love. This last painting was a lovely Nelly Moser clematis on a trellis with a hummingbird hovering over the flowers. The title is "Embrace." It was painted for a very special mom who is so appreciated by her children for the warm embrace of love she has always shared with them.

Now I am into a great fun painting. This is a family of sea otters.....with their happy little inquisitive faces peering back at me from the water. It is 24x36 in acrylic.  I think these creatures are such lively joyful creatures that I just had to paint this family. I have been lucky to see them any number of times at Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island. They always seem as happy to see me as I am to see them.

Watch for this painting to be shown here soon.

2 owlets this year

We finally were lucky enough to see the second owlet. He has taken a bit longer to learn to fly so was hidden from us. So pleased to finally see both of them. This makes the parents job a bit harder for sure.

"Watching You"

My owl painting is complete and I have just had my first owlet sighting of the year. The day I signed this painting I finally saw this year's baby owl - definitely a good day.
It was at dusk that we spotted the single large fuzzy Great Horned owlet. He is about 12" high with light gray fuzz and eyes the size of grapes. He was standing with a wide stance on the top of a fence post. His mom and dad were above in the trees. Lil Fuzzy peered intently at us, then ignored us and then studied us again. We are old friends of his parents so we slowly and politely approached to a nice viewing spot and crouched down to observe. It was so satisfying to finally see who has been high in the nest this spring. The owlet is healthy and strong. It will be fun to watch him grow.

Here is my painting "Watching you."

Time for Owls

This is the time of year when we start to watch for the owls in our area. We have several mated pairs of Great Horned Owls close and it is a special part of our spring and early summer hikes to watch for signs of them. It is great when the young owlets are finally visible in their nursery trees and we get the chance to watch them learn about life. This year we are just wondering if the cold spring will delay the laying and hatching of the eggs.

To celebrate spring I have started a painting of a Great Horned Owl with its owlet. Watch for the completed painting to be posted here soon

Because these owl nests are too high and protected for us to get good look, we see first see the owlets when they are able to fly around their nursery area. By this time these baby owls are huge fuzzy birds almost as big as their parents. They are incredibly cute with an interest in everything. Owlet heads swivel, bob and extend up and down while their large eyes peer at you. 

So we are on Owl watch now and will update you all when we have our first baby owl sighting....maybe even have pictures for the blog.

Back to Hiking

It is awesome when the snow finally goes and the mountain trails open back up for hiking. To be able to get out into the woods and see nature close up is just the best. The trails are still slick in spots and there are large puddles, streams and snow piles to jump and clamber over.

Yesterday I was up on Enderby Cliffs looking out over the valley.  The air was clear and the view was amazing. From several different view points you can see all the way to Okanagan Lake one way and to Salmon Arm Fly Hills the other way. Below you the Shuswap River curls and twists in a beautiful pattern of reflected sunlight in the midst of a multi coloured patchwork of farmer's fields.

Animal sightings were limited to chipmunks, grouse, and magpies, that was possibly due to a local yellow lab that decided to join us. A handsome blond dog, he ran up ahead and then doubled back for us, all the while watching for any sign of life that he could joyously chase into the woods. After our hike he turned into the gate of the house at the bottom of the trail, leaving us to suppose that he might daily pick a lucky couple of hikers to accompany him on his jaunt.

Enderby Cliff is well worth the several hours that it takes to hike. They have altered the path, making it substantially easier and they are working on a restoration program on the old trail as erosion was damaging the hillside in that area.

Its great to be back in my hiking boots and back on the trails.