Birth of a Painting #5

Its been a few weeks since the last post relating to the Birth of a Painting Series" click on a number below for previous stages from the recent past. The idea is to photograph the painting ever few hours so you can follow along . Looks like snow is coming tonight...and possibly Friday. Cant wait. Any comments of feed back please feel free to email me through my Contact page
Cheers
Bill
Click Below
#1 #2 #3 #4

Art Show Photos

Thanks for all the people who made it out to the show. I had a great time meeting new people and seeing many familiar faces. The paintings will continue to be hanging up until the 28th of February. So if you still want to have a peek and eat some great food please do so!
have a great week!

Art Show January 28th

Click Image to Enlarge

SNOW!!!!

Finally, January 19th, 2007 we got it. Snow. Although it was a light dusting, its beauty was exquisite. With batteries charged and the big lens attached I headed out into the dark grey sky hoping the sun would brighten up things enough to take some images.

First stop was one of my secret nature preserves where I have yet to see anyone in the morning and nature seems to go on with its routine as if the middle of a huge forest. In reality the preserve is is fairly small and surrounded by neighborhoods, roads, and train tracks. Although I did not see all that much the silence and stillness was truly remarkable.

I was surprised how long I had to look to find some deer. I did find 3 doe bedded in some very thick brambles. The were kind enough to let me take some pictures before heading off into the deeper forest.

Around noon I headed out again, this time looking for hawks. Yesterday I spotted what I thought was a Coopers Hawk around lunch time. As I approached to take a picture it took off. Seeing ten Red Tailed Hawks a day seems typical for me, but a Cooper is a different story. Noticing very different coloration and a red breast led me to believe that is what I saw. Today I headed back to the same area in Redding to see if by some small chance it may be hunting the same area. Sure enough, there it was, this time only about 20 fee off the ground on the edge of a drive way , as I pulled in and adjusted my light meter he posed. Confirmed, a Coopers Hawk. Interestingly I have learned that a Coopers Hawk was recently removed from the Threatened and Endangered Species List and the population has been increasing over the past few years. Click to images to enlarge

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend
Bill

Coyote in Connecticut

Although I have seen lots of visual sign that coyotes do live around here. I have never actually seen one alive in the wild in this part of the country. Previous photos of coyotes on my site were taken in Wyoming and Montana. As it goes sometimes no matter how prepared you try to be sometimes its just not enough. On my way into the office today I saw my first east coast coyote. I had a very short lens (55mm) and the lighting was terrible at best. Although these images are blurry as you can get I still felt this is an important moment for me to share. Enjoy!!

Three on One

Welcome back to the site. Temperatures have dipped back into the freezing range and most standing water has at least a thin sheet of ice on it. While out shooting this morning at a nature preserve in Danbury I came upon 3 swans making a lot of noise, at first I gave it no mind. But the noise and splashing continued for a few minutes so I decided to investigate. Once I got closer I realized that 3 swans were swimming in the only unfrozen water on the whole pond. This open water just happened to be at the front door of a beaver lodge and he didn't seem to happy to have neighbors so close by. Over and over the swans would chase the beaver under and then the beaver would pop back up and slam his tail down on the water sending a huge splash up in the air trying to send the swans away. It was over in a few more minutes, the beaver went back to working on the lodge. Very fun to see interaction between two very different animals.











Art show will be installed on Monday January 5th...details to follow VERY shortly.
Cheers
Bill

Happy Friday!

Last night I was happy to share this painting with its future owners. Jill and Frank came by the Studio to have a first look. The painting of Zelda is not complete but I felt it was a good point to share it for feed back. My main goals will be to develop a bit more muscle tone in the shoulders and legs. I am also going to refine several areas in the back ground such as the water and leaves. I have had a blast working on this so far. 14 different image references were used to create this composition.

Have a great weekend and stop back soon for a new Birth Of A Painting

Cheers
Bill

Winners Announced

Happy New Year, as promised, the winners of the Contest have been selected and notified. Congratulations to Scott G. in St Port Lucie, Florida who won the calendar. Grand prize winner Laura S. from Dillon, Colorado wins a print of any photo or painting off the site! Thanks to all who entered and keep coming back I plan to have regular contest through out the year
Cheers
Bill

Answer to Contest question:

A tree's roots, branches and twigs can endure freezing temperatures, but most leaves are not so tough. On a broadleaf tree -- say a maple or a birch -- the tender thin leaves, made up of cells filled with water sap, will freeze in winter. Any plant tissue unable to live through the winter must be sealed off and shed to ensure the tree's survival.

As sunlight decreases in autumn, the veins that carry sap into and out of a leaf gradually close. A layer of cells, called the separation layer, forms at the base of the leaf stem. When this layer is complete, the leaf is separated from the tissue that connected it to the branch, and it falls. Oak leaves are the exception. The separation layer never fully detaches the dead oak leaves, and they remain on the tree through winter.

Christmas Vacation...

Hello and welcome back, or if this is your first time here, thanks for visiting. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and was able to share time with their families and friends as I did.

I wanted to post a few photos taken over the past few days. Lots of hawk sightings around noon time, ( I took the whole week off from desk work so that I could paint, hike, take photos and do yoga) I was also able to get some close shots of a Great Blue Heron. It seems to be the same one from the previous post with the goose, he has been in the same spot a lot and takes his time before flying off giving me time to snap some pictures. For the doubters I took a photo of an oak tree with leaves still attached, a red tailed hawk flying off the branch. This is a reminder to enter my CONTEST. Winner will be announced January 1st.












Last but not least, how many deer can you count in this photo? Take a guess!











I will be painting all week and will have updated images for the Birth Of a Painting series. Also, I will possibly be able to post images of a Zelda, a private commission I have been working on for the past 3 days.

Cheers for now!
Bill

Barred Owl Sketch

Barred Owl

(Strix varia)

Average Height: 16-24 inches

Average Weight: 1 1/2-2 pounds

Wingspan: 3-4 feet

Lifespan: 10-15 years in wild, up to 30 years in captivity

Description: The Barred Owl is a large brown owl without "ear tufts." Adults have dark vertical streaking on the chest and belly and white underparts with brown barring in the neck. The Barred Owl has dark brown eyes.

Call: The most common sound of the Barred Owl is "hoo HOO hoo hoo, hoo HOO hoo hooaaahhhhh." This is often interpreted as "Who-cooks-for-you-- who-cooks-for-you-all?" Barred Owls have many vocalizations, however, and also include a "bark."

Range: Barred Owls are found throughout the Eastern and mid-western United States, as well as in the Northwestern states such as Washington and Oregon, and in Canada. It is a very common owl in Connecticut.

Habitat: Barred Owls prefer dense conifer or mixed coniferous and deciduous forests, wooded swamps and river valleys.

Diet: The diet of Barred Owls consists mostly of mice, but also includes squirrels, rabbits, smaller birds, crayfish, amphibians, reptiles and insects.

Source: http://www.sharon.audubon.org/

Birth of a Painting #4 and bonus**

Happy Monday...I had a chance to do a little painting this weekend. I worked on the 'wood pile barn' (need a name for it) and started a new painting of a friends dog Zelda. I am considering posting it as I paint it as well.
Although I went on several hikes, I didn't take too many pictures. This one of a Blue Heron and Canadian Goose was the best of the bunch. I took it on my way back from Jo's house on Chestnut Ridge Rood in Redding. Usually Blue herons wont let me get this close, but I was struggling with enough light to get proper sharpness and exposure. This one however seemed to have a unique feel to it. Cheers
Bill

Click to enlarge

Birth of a Painting #3

Click Image To Enlarge

Birth of a Painting #2

Click on image to enlarge!

The Birth of a painting.

A New painting is born!! I have always wanted to keep a record of a painting as it progresses, snapping pictures every few hours. Starting with this first image ( a rough pencil sketch) I will be updating a as I make progress. This painting is based on a photo I took this summer. The subject is a small stack of wood inside of a barn with a strong orange light on the wall as the sun set behind the barn. The location is in Redding Connecticut located on the corner of Topstone Rd. and Umpawaug Rd. I do not know the owner of this building but may drop them a postcard. Every time I drive past this place I feel like I should see a fox or a owl in the barn. It has not happened yet so I decided to make it happen with paint. Although the photo I am working from was taken in summer I will change the season to fall/early winter. Enjoy, check back soon for progress!

click to enlarge image

A Perfect Morning

Sometimes things just happen, all at once. This morning was one of those times. 6:45 am I headed out into sunrise in search of a great photo. I had no idea what was waiting for me in the woods. Being seasonably cold I bundled up for the hour I planned to sit motionless before I had to go to work. As I started into the woods I turned on my camera and did a quick light meter check, the results proved I barley had enough light to take a picture. I continued up the hill and took a side trail to a rock formation where I planned to sit. All at once I noticed a LARGE 8 point buck standing right in front of me, before I could lift my camera he was gone...never stopping once. As he exploded out into the dense brush above me a very large Barred Owl dropped out of a pine and came to rest on a branch to see what was going on. I was shaking from all this action and managed to squeeze out a few shots of him before he too fled to the safety of the deeper forest. I regained my composure and trudged on up the hill towards the rock. As I approached the crest of the hill I noticed the wind was more south west than expected so I changed plans and sat down behind a old pile of wood and began to rattle some antlers for 30 seconds. I waited about 10 minutes and spotted 3 doe running off in the distance, this was a good sign. About 5 minutes after that right ahead of me, coming straight for me was a nice 7 pointer that I know all to well. I maintained frozen as he approached. I watched as he nonchalantly sniffed and browsed without a care in the world. I began snapping a few shots, he continued on past me so close that I could not even fit him in the camera frame. Then he went up to a rub tree and began to rub his antler on the tree and licking it. I continued shooting. He continued off. Two minutes later another buck came along and this one was on to me. A small 5 pointer stood frozen looking right at me waiting for me to make a mistake. I did and off he went. I looked at my watch and realized I had to head back so I could get to work. I think I literally skipped out of the woods in great satisfaction for all the events that took place in such a short period of time. I feel like today mother nature gave me my Christmas present early. I have NEVER seen a barred owl while hiking and this is by far the closest a buck has ever walked to me. Here are some of the pictures. Click to enlarge.
Stop back soon and don't forget to enter the contest in the post before this one. The value of the grand prize could be upward of $150!!!

Holiday Contest

Hello Everyone,
I am having a little contest just in time for the Holidays. Its quite simple. Answer the question below in a few sentences and email me @ Title of the email should be CONTEST.
A correct answer will enter you into a pool where a computer drawn number will pick 2 winners. There will be 2 prizes, the grand prize will be a print of your choice, signed and numbered. Second place will be a 2007 William Kramer Studio Calendar. Contest winners will be announced January 1, 2007.


The question is:
Why is it that oak trees retain their leaves throughout the winter?


Good Luck and stop back soon for exciting news of a solo Art Show in Bethel, Connecticut for the month of December. I will also have limited number of Calendars on sale featuring 4 new paintings. Price is $15 with shipping. Let me know if you would like to purchase one. First come first serve.
Have a great week,
Bill

Bucks are running!

The mating or rutting season for the white tailed deer starts in late October and extends through early January. In Connecticut, the peak of the rutting season is the last two weeks in November. Fawns, weighing from four to eight pounds, are usually born in June. They remain under the female’s care through September, when they are weaned. The number of young born ranges from one to four, depending upon the age and condition of the doe. In Connecticut, twins are common and triplets and quadruplets have been recorded. Female fawns born early in spring have the potential to breed by the following fall.

Being nearly mid November I have seen bucks nearly every day. The past week (when it was not raining) I have been going to a south edge of a field (down wind side) and sitting and scoping for bucks when sun first rises. Its a great experience to watch these rut crazed bucks chase does. There are a few nice big guys in there but they are much harder to get pictures of because they will spot you first in most cases and make off into thick cover. Here are a few images from this week.
Enjoy and have a great weekend
Bill

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Hello, seems like there are lots of these woodpeckers around right now. Named for its least obvious field mark, a faint blush of red on the belly that is rarely seen, the red-bellied woodpecker is the largest common woodpecker of the eastern United States. The red bellied doesn't seem to be bothered by my presence, I have seen them 10 times in the last week, from deep in the woods, and also right outside my window...

November Birds

A few new bird photos from a hike last Saturday on the Stietzel Family Farm in Redding Connecticut. Lots of Cedar Waxwings! and the Kinglets seems to still be around, after this cold snap today I have a feeling this is the last we will see of them as they migrate south...

Got Him!

continuing from last post......
Well not quite as big as I remember when I saw him in person, but still an impressive 11 pointer with a split g2 on the left antler (g2 referrers to the back left antler and how it splits into a fork, this is indicative of an older animal ) The nighttime shots with this camera are clearly not as pretty but still very exciting to down load and see what roams in the woods at night. I should try to get some Coyotes........stay tuned