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.

Watch Them Grow

Click on images to enlarge



Getting good shots of mature whitetail bucks is never easy. Factors such as wind, scent, and most importantly light can make or break a good photo session. With lots of patience and willingness to learn the habits of these amazing animals some times you get lucky.

What I want to attempt to document over the next few months is the growth of antlers on specific deer to see how they grow. The following images were taken at a few locations in the past week, my hopes are that I will be able to pattern the same animal (hopefully the big guy) and get shots every week or so what show this rapid growing process that take place this time of year until October when antlers will mineralize and become hard, dead bone.

June, food is very plentiful right now. I have seen numerous fawns over the last month from new born to what appeared to be several weeks old. Bucks antlers are growing rapidly and require foods with high protein levels.

This time of year deer will eat almost exclusively new growth leaves on trees. Also found on the menu are mushrooms, these are a steady food right through until fall.

In July many of the new growth leaves and stem tips will begin to mature and the fiber content will rise, particularly tree leaves. This make for a less palatable meal. Next month proves to be a difficult month for deer even though it seems food is everywhere. The high temperature and possible drought conditions can be very stressful to the deer and the plants they eat.

Come back next week to see what growing on.

I also wanted to mention that you will notice changes in the site. I am currently in the process of doing updates in all catagories.

AND dont forget the ArtShow July 8th!!!

Watch Them Grow.

Fox Update!

Still working on on this one, but wanted to share the progress..I will have this done for the art show opening! Hope to have some prints as well, I will also have a new painting of a Blue Heron that I have not shown yet.

Barn painting update

Click image to enlarge

Its been a while, but I finally picked up this painting again and gave it some love. I also will include the Live painting of Bulls Bridge.

Art Show July 8th 2007

click to enlarge image

Hello every one, happy Friday. If you have a spare afternoon on Sunday July 8th I would love it if you could come check out the show, I plan to have several new paintings, prints for sale as well as photos. The show is at Hopkins Vineyard in the beautiful Lake Waramaug area. Try some local wine and cheese while you visit ! Any questions please email me through my contact page.

Molly Finished

After getting a good solid chunk of time to work on it, I am 99% done with this painting of Molly. The next stage will be to make the frame. I hope to get up to my friend Don's wood shop this weekend to make the frame. I will be sure to take pictures of the process.


I also included a close up of the Live painting I did last weekend in Tarrywile Park. I named it the Raven and the Oriel.

A few more Birds

I found a sacred spot where the smaller song birds seem to flock, every where you look there is a new one. Here are a few from Tuesday morning.


Ruby Throated Hummingbird


Chestnut-Sided Warbler (a first for me)

Indigo Bunting ( a first for me)

Female Rose Breasted Grosbeak

Bobolink
These Bobolinks are very tough to get photos of and I have gone out several time to try to get a better shot. But no luck, In fact the last 2 times I didnt even hear the call and suspect they may have moved on from the area.

"Live" Painting

Recently I have rediscovered the raw challenge and enjoyment of painting in the field. Packing up the paint, brushes and canvas board and going outside the studio. Nearly all my recent paintings I have been working only in the studio, focusing tremendously on creating photo realism style work that still allows room for creative interpretation. When working outside I feel totally different. There is the search for the spot, setting up and then the actual painting. Many visitors, snakes, bugs, birds and of course hikers. Until now I have been limited as to where I could paint outdoors because I simply don't have a portable easel and would have to find a picnic table or bench to paint on. I fixed that this weekend and purchased a very nice portable aluminum easel. I have yet to use it but look forward to it the first chance I get.

All these thoughts about this type of "Live" painting has me excited. I think if I can use this more spontaneous technique combined with my more photo realistic "Studio " technique I might find a perfect combination of style to call my own. In fact, I plan major website updates towards end of summer where I might split the Painting category into "Studio" and "Live". I think the two styles are different enough to have their own categories. I plan to do many of this style of painting, it seems to allow me to push my artistic limits and learn different techniques that can help in my more studied pieces. Because these paintings take about a day or so to create I hope to be able to sell them for about $200-$400 framed. Any thoughts on this?

TGIF

Happy Friday everyone! Spring is in full swing and rising temperatures and rain have awakened the Earth. I have a few photos to share from this week. First is a shot of a bird that is new to me. The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, boldly patterned in black, white, and rose/red, is easily identified. The brown, striped female, is more of a challenge to identify. It looks similar to a large sparrow. A common bird of forests and second growth, the grosbeak's song is like that of the robin, but seems mellower and more sweetly melodic. I got this shot at a bird feeder where I work.

Description
* Medium-sized, stocky songbird.
* Large, thick, pale, cone-shaped bill.
* White flash in wings in flight.
* Male distinctive with black hood, red chest, and white belly.
* Size: 7-8 in
* Wingspan: 11-13 in
* Weight: 1.38-1.73 ounces

Sex Differences

Male strikingly colored, with black back and hood, red chest, white rump and belly. Female streaked brown and white.
Sound

Song a slow, rich warble, like a robin that has taken singing lessons. Call a sharp "squeak," like a sneaker on a gym floor.


Painting update:
Molly Stage 6

Painting Update, a few Spring Birds

Scroll down/Click Images to enlarge


Redtailed Hawk Hunting



Morning Doves, Female Northern Oriole,Downey Wood Pecker

House Wren






Stage Five

Stage Six

New Painting

Over the last 2 weeks I have been working on a new commissioned painting. I am working from several photos that I took a few weeks ago. This Is Molly, she loves to swim and run in the fields. I wanted to capture the semi wet look to the fur as if she was just swimming. I am about a third done and will be posting updates as they happen.

Earthday

click image to enlarge
Now with all the heavy rain in our rear view mirror we had some fantastic weather this weekend. On Sunday, Earth day, I made my way over to Bethel's Bennett Memorial Park and joined a group of about 80 others to watch Hope Douglas from Wind Over Wings, Inc. a nonprofit, wildlife rehabilitation and education center. Hope gave an entertaining and insightful presentation about raptors as well as offering ideas of simple things everyone can do to help the wildlife and the environment thrive. This offered a great opportunity to get some shots of a Great horned owl, Saw-whet Owl, and a Rough Legged Hawk. The presentation was put on by the Bethel Land Trust, and PATH.

On a walk earlier in the day I captured a photo of a bird that I have never seen before. Later on I identified it as a Yellow Rumped Warbler, also called a Myrtle Warbler. Hope everyone got a chance to get outside and watch as the Earth awakens from its winter slumber! Have a great week.
Bill

A True Tuesday Story...(get ready to laugh)

Editors note: The following experience happened to my good friend Sam Dodge this morning. Its so funny I had to share it. NO photoshop has been done to any of the following photos.


So I am driving to work, bumping to some tunes when all of a sudden this little mouse appears on my windshield. I was like holey moley, my old nemesis, Mr. Mouse! Let me preface by saying that we have met before. For the last couple of months I have opened the hood of my car to find a pile of insulation on top of my engine. It appears that Mr. Mouse has been living in the liner on my hood, apparently a Saab makes a great mouse house. But during the last snow storm while trying to remove my car from a snow bank I revved the engine so loud that the mouse popped out just as it had this morning and took off across the frozen tundra. I thought this was the last I would see of Mr. Mouse…

…Wrong!

So this little squeaker is just sitting right on top of my windshield wiper. I mean this little guy is just asking to be catapulted off my windshield and right into oncoming traffic. This is my moment of glory, of sweet revenge, but I hesitate like a little weak vegetarian(sort of) man that I am and the next thing I know he is scaling the windshield to the top of my car. I veer my car up the industrial park like a mad man trying to shake the mouse from the top of my car but this mouse is good. I mean he is like the Mel Gibson of mice. I pull into work and he is just chilling behind my Thule rack cowering. With the assistance of John Cramer I was able to scare the mouse out into the woods out back. Yes it took two grown men to remove one small mouse from the top of my car, and yes, we took the necessary precautions and put leather gloves on…

…John seems to think that he will be some creatures lunch today. But my guess is that he emailing his buddies right now about the morning he had.

-Sam

3 for Monday

Three For Monday.

The talk of the morning has to be the rain that we received starting on Sunday. Today we woke up to heavy flooding of all small streams and rivers. I tried to get out and get some shots of it this morning but it seemed every where I tried to get to the road was closed. I did make it over to the Stietzel Family Farm on Gallows Hill Road in Redding. I took some images of the small creek that had grown to be over a hundred feet wide in a few swampy sections. Hope the ducks are staying dry, their coop is nearly touching the waters edge.

On Saturday I headed over to the Richter Art Center to see how my Photos did in the annual Juried Photography Show and Sale. Besides being awarded Honorable Mention (4th out of 51 entries) I was happy to meet other like minded folks. Winning photo. I am looking forward to the art show they are having this summer, I hope to enter a few paintings!

Finally I will leave you with a few parting shots, First is an Osprey I watched fishing in a swamp on the Bethel/Redding line, second is a KillDeer that was picking through the lawn , I had no idea how red their eye is.
Have a great week, look for some painting updates to come very soon!
Bill