Test run with the new camera!

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Went for a short walk in the lower field near my house last night to play with the camera. This nice buck decided to pose for me. I have a lot to learn about this camera but over all i can see great improvement in many areas. Auto focus is much faster, no searching around. I can also take 5 frames per second, the best thing seems to be how smooth the images are. For example the blurry backgrounds.

As luck would have it.

I am leaving to go to Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and down to Jackson Hole on Saturday morning for a photography/painting mission. Last night my camera broke. I will have to send it in to get it fixed. This left me with no choice but to buy a new camera body, which means, new lens, new pack, UV filter, warrant, express shipping...$$$$$$$$$$$$

Anyone want to buy a painting, or 2? I am willing to negotiate!!

New Painting

I recently created this oil painting at New Pond Farm in Redding Ct. I painted the majority of it in the field and then retouched it in the studio for a few hours. Enjoy.
Bill

A step back in time.

Hello and happy Friday!
I have been working on a few new paintings, in fact I was able to paint 6 days this week. Mostly early in the morning before work, and a few nights as well. I have decided to take a step back and share some of my older work. Click image to enlarge.
Have a great weekend
Bill


Grave Achitecture
Etching, 1995


Michael Stipe Portrait
Scratchboard, 1988



Costa Rican Tree
Water color/ India Ink, 2001
Based on photo taken on trip to Costa Rica in 2001

Week # 9

Seems like the antlers are almost done growing. He has been much harder to get photos of. My next major goal is to get images of the velvet peeling off revealing th sharp points underneath.

Humming Bird Moth

An amazing insect that can easily be mistaken for a bird, have a look at this video my friend Francis took in upstate NewYork a few weeks ago. For more info on this insect click HERE
/hummingbirdmoth.mov

A change of pace...

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....sometimes change is good, in this case I have been playing around with some different mediums, Pencil, and oil paint, and different subjects. Both of these are quick studies of Bob Marley. I have been listening to a lot of Bob lately and felt the urge to create a few images of him. If anyone is interested in a copy of the sketch I will send you one for the cost of shipping. Just send me your address through my CONTACT page on my website.

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds…"

Friday Freak Take 8

Click Image to Enlarge

8 Weeks in a row and still growing, Looks like there is a bit of a slowdown in growth, the tips seem to be getting sharper. A true Connecticut Giant!

Sleeping Buck, New painting

Hello and welcome back,
On Sunday I went for a short hike up the ridge near my house, it was very hot and humid, a day where you just want to lay down and sleep, but there I was out sweating. As I descended back down the valley to head home I caught out of the corner of my eye, a 8 point buck laying in the leaves with his head on the ground and eyes closed. Not only is it one of the first time I have ever seen a mature buck laying down, but he was actually sleeping! Mid afternoon sunbeams pierced through the dense canopy and made him look spotted. An amazing scene that made me so excited. Now the problem, no camera!!! After a quick thought I had only one choice.. I decided to b-line it straight back to my house ( about 10 minutes away) to get my camera and then come back circling down wind in the slight chance that the buck might still be sleeping. After a manic hike/run, with stinging sweat pouring into my eyes, I arrived at the spot where he was..well his eyes were not closed anymore but I managed to squeeze off a bunch of shots. The majority of the photos were blurry because I was shaking so bad from the intense hike and adrenaline, luckily a few came out really nice. Now after all this I feel strong that this will be the subject of a new painting, in fact the blank canvas is already on the easel. I hope to start this weekend and to document it. Cheers, Look for a Freak update tomorrow, possibly some videos too!


BONUS COYOTE VIDEO! Its a short clip but a first for me! Click Below


/coyotemovie.mov

VIDEOS!

This is a test to see how Video works on here. Let me know if you have any problems. This first video is a 4 point buck feeding and then a big six point comes over to kick him out and show off his dominance.

click this link below

/SUNP0011.AVI

7 WEEKS!

click image to enlarge

Happy Friday, once again. Another successful week. Here is the updates, Looks like there is a start of another point on the right antler which would make for 14 potential points. I would guess we have about 3 more weeks left until this deer will disappear into the night. I have some motion activated video cameras out in the forest right now as well. I hope to check on them in a few days and see what was captured. Enjoy.
Bill

Friday Freak!

Click to enlarge


Hello and happy Friday. For those who have not seen this series, what I am attempting to do is capture images of the same buck (Affectionately called The Freak) every week or so. By capturing the same head angle you can see how fast his antlers are growing. This is the sixth photo in the series of this wild deer. I hope to continue to capture images of this deer until his velvet sheds off and this antlers calcify to the sharp points we see in fall and winter. Enjoy!

Old Painting Animation

I painted this a few years ago and wanted to see if animations worked on this blog. Let me know if anyone has trouble seeing it. It will take a few seconds to load.

Oil paint

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After much thought, (and a going out of business sale at a local art store) I purchased a full set of oil paint and mediums. I took a day off last week and went down to a spot that is near and dear to me, Mt Pond. I set up on the earthen dam facing the rocks that I have swam out to a hundred times in the past. After about 3 hours of peaceful and some what messy painting here is the result. I have a lot to learn about how to transport a wet painting and a few other techniques but over all I was very happy with the result. I don't think I am ready to drop all acrylic painting but oil sure has a place in my future art. Check back soon for a painting to be created at New Pond Farm in Redding Connecticut.

Prints

Framed Prints hanging proudly! click to elarge

Hello and happy Friday, I wanted to share some images from people who have purchased prints and had them framed up. Wayne and Ann were kind enough to send me photos of the prints proudly displayed in their homes. I feel honored to have my art in their lives!

If you are interested in purchasing prints please feel free to contact me with any questoions, about pricing, framing, sizes.
Cheers and have a great weekend
Bill

Back at it!

Hello and welcome back. Summer seems to be speeding by, I can already notice shorter days and earlier sunsets. Last week I was away in West Virginia and was unable to get a photo of The Freak to continue the documentation of his Antler Growth. Luckily, I have a great friend who captured a shot of this deer on July 9th. He even got the angle to match the others! Thanks Frank!! Tonight I was lucky enough to get yet ANOTHER photo of The Freak exactly a week later, same head angle, different body position, I am actually happy to have a slightly different angle to mix it up a bit. The growth the past 3 weeks is amazing. I also added a few shots of deer/cat interaction, and one I call "The Freak and his Bride" Enjoy!!! Updates on the art show to come later this week.

Click Images to enlarge

Directions To Art Show

When: Today July 8th 3-5pm

Here is a map where the show is located. Look for the Red Barn . Hope to see you there.
Bill

3 for 3

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Now entering the third week of tracking antler growth and the last week was staggering how much growth can be seen. Amazing.

AND don't forget the ArtShow July 8th!!!

Friday Updates

Happy Friday. I wanted to mention that some updates have been done on the site. If you go into Photography check out the BIRDS and ANIMALS categories. I have removed some images and added some new ones. Check back early next week for more pictures of the Freak and his fast growing antlers! I will leave you with a photo of a fawn that was following me around. I was literally less than 2 feet away from it.

Watch Them Grow: Part 2

Its been one week, here are some more shots. I decided to name them so I can keep track of deer that are the same. This first image is of the freak exactly 7 days after the first shot. You can clearly see the growth on the ends of the antlers in only 7 days.

The following are assorted other bucks from various locations. I am excited to see the experiment to document antler growth is working so far, and better than I can Imagine. I will try to get more shots in another 7 days.