Technology and Nature

I went to paint at Cal Tech today, but I forgot something to paint on. Arguably, one could paint on just about anything, but I didn't. I took some photos and notes and painted later at home. Not before I walked around and took dozens of pictures.
I took quite a few pictures of this beautiful egret that was fishing for food in some pools. It was not bothered by me.

And I was quite enamored with its white feathers and yellow feet.

Then I noticed this big silent bullfrog


Finally, I noticed this: a bit beaten up by a lawnmower,but still a four leaf clover. I didn't pick it. No reason to press my luck.

Knowing R. J.

This is less postcardish than the last few paintings. This is a view from Bailey Canyon Park in Sierra Madre, looking across Carter and south to the lowlands. I kind of expected to paint trees when I headed up to Bailey Canyon Park, but the ravages of November's winds are still very apparent there. I saw plenty of downed trees and plenty of stumps. There was a lot less shade to be had as well. Challenging painting conditions because of the speed at which the paint dried. I liked the image of the morning sun bathing a roof top with the blue expanse of distance beyond. Since I believe painting is an intimate act, I think I should know something about what I paint. I was able to learn that Bailey Canyon was named for R.J. Bailey, a homesteader who didn't stick around long. Nothing more than that. I don't know who the roof belongs to either.

Here's a treat, and I only wish I could have gotten closer and focused better. This is an acorn woodpecker. There are several that I think live in palm trees to the south of me. They come and get peanuts that I put out in the morning. They've gotten used to me over the past few years and don't seem so shy any more. I think they might be an extended family group; they work cooperatively to chase jays and crows away from the nuts. Hang in there, woodpecker.

Eye on the Sparrow

Sparrows have to be the riffraff of the bird word. They are pugnacious and prolific. They are alien and loud. They hop instead of walking.

Backyard birders with their bluebird nesting boxes? You couldn't find a nicer bunch of people. And yet when it comes to sparrows, they speak of pest control, of destroying broods, and of pellet guns. Thank God somebody's looking out for the sparrows.

Higher Mountains

This painting dates back all the way to last Saturday, but my computer was out of commission and I had no way to bring it to you. This is Loma Alta Park, a Los Angeles County Park in Altadena. Loma Alta means high hill, and it's named, I believe, for it's elevation. There are spectacular views from the park of both the mountains and the Los Angeles basin. There are shaded picnic areas, great trees, horseshoes and an outdoor theater. In my late childhood, I left home for a day and walked to Loma Alta Park. It's always a good place end up.

Here's some of my favorite photographs from the visit. Especially the crow. Crows are great. So are maple leaves. Can you think of a better leaf?

Pigeons in the Park

I'm pretty happy with my life-sized rendering of a pair of pigeons showing a little affection. I like pigeons a lot. You've probably heard this before. I like their plumpness, their iridescence, and their soft cooing sounds. I like that they hang around downtown and on windowsills. And how they are in my front yard but won't visit the back.

Remember Bert on Sesame Street? He was also a big fan of pigeons. As between Bert and Ernie, I'd prefer to think I was more like Ernie. Ernie is the creative one, the inventive and adventurous one. Ernie is a dreamer and he is warm and expressive. Most important, Ernie has the voice of Jim Henson, who is one of my all-time heroes. But I have to admit I'm more like Bert. Bert is quirky and uptight and maybe even a little whiny. But you know he's okay, because he likes pigeons and he's Ernie's best friend and he always joins in before the song is done.

Duck

Duck

Duck feather

Visit Lisa's Chaos for Macro Monday. And have a good week.

White Chinese Goose

Not much to say about it. I'm glad to have a painting to post. This was a goose at Almansor Park. I liked its reflection. I didn't know it was a Chinese goose until a few minutes ago. I would know so much less without the internet. I find water pretty difficult to render convincingly in watercolor, and that seems ironic. White feathers are beautiful; even more than white flowers, they are luminous and all colors lurk in their shadows.

Day at the beach

Not me, not today, although it was certainly a warm and beautiful day. Remember this gull from the postcard? Well I've now almost finished a nearly life-sized portrait of it. I'm feeling pretty pleased with this painting - the simplicity, the high contrast. I think the beak may be a drop too long, but nothing to be done about it. I plan to add just a little more color and detail to the gull, but not so you'd notice, and a little more shading to the sand. Gotta show the contours under the shadow to explain why it isn't shaped more like the bird. But that's all.

Photo triumph

I am pretty thrilled about getting pictures of a woodpecker. I won't describe the amount of stalking that went into it. I'm sorry there's a particularly gnarled leaf right in the middle of the picture. But still. I got the woodpecker. I'm also showing you a nice picture of roses. They are my sister's favorite: Double Delight, so I thought it was cool how there are two of them in the picture. This won't come out in the picture, but they smell spectacular.

A Couple of Days Away

Optimally, I suppose I'd wait a couple of days to post this. This isn't the painting that I worked on last night, that I'm only an hour or so from finishing, that I want to enter in a show. This is something I did tonight because I was thinking about valentines. I like valentines a lot. Not crazy about the holiday, but I think the cards are (or at least can be) quite wonderful. I'm mad for heart shapes. I don't know why. I doodle them constantly. I could be on the phone with the IRS, and I'd doodle heart shapes. Someone could get the wrong idea.

Chairs

I painted two more postcards. I realized that in a modest-sized house, I have sixteen different chairs, and a total of twenty two chairs, since they are not all different. That does not include the chairs on the front porch, the backyard, the garage and the basement, which are many more. There is good diversity among chairs - infinite variations on a simple and good idea. Does a picture of a single empty chair suggest something?

On another topic, for which very regrettably I have no picture, it was a great day for birds in the yard. Other than the typical visitors: sparrows, jays, crows, mourning doves, hummingbirds, and
house finches, I saw a gold finch and six band tailed pigeons.

What's blooming now

I was going to show you something else, but the scanner isn't working. So here are some lovely blooms from the yard, including a camelia that looks like the one featured on the Huntington Library calendar. Also, birds at the bird feeder. It's cool how the top of the the bird feeder catches the sun and looks like a real lighthouse. The birds look lively enough.

Jay and Crow

After countless tries, I've taken a bird photo that makes me happy. I stood still for quite a while, keeping the camera ready. The picture tells part of a story that plays itself out every morning in my yard. I put peanuts out for the birds and squirrels. Squawking and following me, the jays get there first, and call to other jays, who also come. They test the peanuts, and pick out the heaviest ones. They carry them away and eat or hide them. When I am further away from the peanuts, the crows come. They eat the peanuts right where they find them, dropping the shells in the dog's water bowl. More rarely, when neither I nor the crows are near, wonderful woodpeckers get peanuts and carry them off. Finally the squirrels come, getting whatever peanuts are left, including some the jays tried to hide. It's a pretty great way to start the day.