Anhinga - Anhinga anhinga

While at the Field Museum today I finally snapped some photos of a mounted specimen of an Anhinga, something I had been intending to do for some time. I've always been interested in the odd (and beautiful) Anhinga ever since I saw one snaking around in some pond down in Florida. It's body was completely submerged, with only its head and serpent neck slinking above the water's surface. Anhingas spend most of their life in water. When not in water they can be seen sitting on a branch, much in the same postition of this specimen, drip drying their feathers. Unlike other birds, Anhingas have dense bones, and feathers that can get fully wet. These adaptations allow them to acheive a neutral buoyancy in water. They will dive for prey, spearing fish with their razor sharp beaks.

I am planning on doing a large watercolor (30 x 40 inch) of an Anhinga, specifically of its back as I love the black and white plumage, and the way it drapes over the wings.

Countertop Drawing

I walked into the bird prep lab of the Field Museum last week and saw this pencil drawing on one of the countertops. After asking around a bit for the drawing's creator, I was told it was by Tom Gnoske, assistant bird collections manager, as he had been in the night before working in the lab. I'm not sure how this came about, but it's an impressive rendering by someone that has an intimate knowledge of mammal anatomy.

Exhibit and Lecture - Ink Lounge Gallery, Colorado.

I'm flying off to Colorado tomorrow for this show. Should be a lot of fun, except for the part where I actually have to talk about my work! Check out the Ink Lounge Gallery.

Arctic Diptych

I just completed two new arctic wildlife themed watercolors: Snowy Owl, and Arctic Fox. The owl will be a gift for a friend of mine, Teresa James, that runs White Wings Press. She was kind enough to let me use her beautiful etching studio now located in Chicago's great Logan Square neighborhood. I used the shop to edition the Morris's Nest etching a couple of weeks ago. I have a deep love and fascination with polar ecosystems, and polar exploration. From a purely aesthetic perspective, I find a lot of pleasure in the color of the tundra: moss greens, silvery lichen, cool grey blues. I plan on making an archival digital print edition of them both, and will post when those become available. Happy Monday at you.

Indigo Bunting - Passerina cyanea

I went in to the Field Museum yesterday, after not being able to go in for a couple of weeks. It was really nice to work quietly in the lab for 5 hours, and visit with the regular crew of biologists. Dave Willard had taken out four birds from the freezer for me to work on: Blackburnian Warbler (Dendroica fusca), Canada Warbler (Dendroica wilsonia), American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), and a male Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea). I think they were all birds that had been injured from downtown building collisions, and brought in to a wildlife rehabilitation center by volunteers. Obviously, they didn't survive their injuries, hence their arrival on my table in the Field Museum prep lab. I would rather that they were alive and off collecting bits of moss to make nests somewhere up north, but I do honor the privilege to study such beautiful creatures up close. The male Indigo Bunting's electric blue plumage was particularly stunning, so I took a photo of it. Have a great weekend!

Harpy Eagle Commission Finished

Last week I finally completed a commission for a large (well, large for the way I usually work) scale watercolor of a South American Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja). I did some preliminary sketches and posted those here a couple of months ago, but the final painting was roughly 30 x 40 inches. It was a good challenge to work at a larger scale. It would have been great to have a live bird to reference, but alas, no trips south for me at this time. Instead I had to rely on photographic references and one of the specimens of Harpia harpyja we have at the Field Museum.

Morris's Nest Etching Editioned

It's true, I haven't had much time for Tiny Aviary, but does it count that I think about Tiny Aviary all of the time? I am hoping to get the ball rolling on this again. I am considering opening up Tiny Aviary to cover, in a more general sense, the work that I do. It's been so busy that I haven't had as much time to go in to the museum, and thus less time for bird related material.

Anyway, I have a new etching completed and will be available for sale in the Etsy shop starting tomorrow! I posted about this print a few months ago HERE and HERE. My friend, Teresa James, who is a wonderful Chicago artist and printmaker, was kind enough to share her beautiful print shop (White Wings Press), with me so that I could complete the printing on this etching. It is a small edition of 18, of which I will have roughly 14 to sell. It's a two color (meaning 2 plate) copper plate etching printed on beautiful Hahnemühle german etch, cotton rag paper.

If you find me on Facebook, I have some process photos of its printing uploaded to my profile. Later this summer I will be going back to White Wings Press as a guest artist, and will be working with Teresa to make a five color etching. I am hoping to document the whole process and get it up on Flickr along with other work of mine.

Ok, more soon. Hope everybody is having a great summer!

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