Replay the Fun
The Backdoor Artist and I joined Mark Mitchell of
Make Your Splashes, Make Your Marks
You’re Invited to replay the Free Q&A
Mark Mitchell, illustrator extraordinaire and proprietor of Make Your Marks, Make Your Splashes Illustration Course Interviewed Mary Livingston, The Backdoor Artist, and me Thursday, June 20, 2013.
Have you ever done pro bono artwork. It is an excellent way to get positive exposure. As artists we have all done artwork for friends or family as gifts. Try taking it one step further and do some artwork for your community, church or charitable organizations.
A steam traction engine hauling lumber.
The pen and ink shown above was done to aid the Shingletown Historical Society, a small community historical society that works to preserve their community legacy. They are a small organization with dedicated volunteer members. They have more enthusiasm than money. At the time, Red Tail Publishing still did book manufacturing for other independent publishers, a service that has been discontinued. The historical society hired Red Tail to do a reprinted edition of Way Back When, a book about the local history, written by Myrtle McNamar over fifty years ago. The original cover art was lost long ago and the previous reprints of the cover were reprints of reprints. At one point the only copy of the cover art was on a tee-shirt that had been produced for a fund-raiser. The cover art had become so degraded that an acceptable copy could not be produced. Mary, of Red Tail Publishing, asked if I would like to create a new piece of cover art for the project, and I agreed. We used an old photo provided by the historical society as a basis. I flipped it around and changed the background to make it work for the cover, and you can see the results below. The Shingletown Historical Society, at no charge, got permission to use my illustration for their book, but I kept all rights to the art.
I have done other art donations, such as illustrations for our church newsletter, and donations of artwork and commission work for local non-profits. Being an artist has not been my primary career, so I have been able to do this simply because I want to. It is a gratifying way to give back and a nice thing to support local organizations that in turn are trying to help others. It is also a great way to get your art seen by folks and to build good will. Who knows, you might even get published.
Here is a link to the Shingletown Historical Society, also here.
When I first posted A Memory In The Mist I thought it would be an unusual sight for most folks. With so many people unfamiliar with teepee burners and their use, and add to that a picture of one decaying into the earth, it would be something different. I decided I would show you a few more images of full standing burners that are still around. They represent something from the past that was left behind by the forward march of technology.
This pen and ink represents an old-time sawmill with a teepee burner.
In the old days, before sawdust was used for particle board and bark was used for landscaping, it was burned. Much of it was burned to power the boilers at the mill, but excess wood waste was just burned. Today’s mill residues that cannot be used in other products are burned in co-generation plants to generate electricity. Nothing goes to waste anymore.
The Carlotta, California teepee burner was an extra-large one.
A big one like the Carlotta burner could handle a lot of mill residue. With the mill gone the old burner stands like a grave marker of the old mill site.
It is a tall skinny teepee burner in Nubieber, California.
A tall burner like the one Nubieber was built with a tall chimney. This reduced the risk of sparks starting a fire outside the burner.
This teepee burner is located between Anderson and Redding, California.
The Anderson burner was a very typical design around here. As a child I lived about a half mile from this one.
A teepee burner in use from 1932.
The teepee burner from A Memory In The Mist.
Where once was smoke now there is foliage.
Nature is resilient and relentless and will be here long after we are gone.
Here comes the sun.
I’ve been watching, taking pictures and watching some more to get a shot of the osprey chicks. Mostly, what I got was this.
The Look! Are you lookin’ at me!
Sitting on the poles eating fish. It’s all good fun but where are the chicks?
What’s for lunch? Fish of course.
Then yesterday a chick got high enough on the nest to get a shot. I have seen them through the nest since last week, but I couldn’t get a clear picture.
Finally, a baby picture!
Not the sharpest picture, but a start. It looked like she was feeding two, but I never got a look at another.
Blue skies from now on.
I was planning a sketch of the view through the nest from last week, since I couldn’t get a shot. This was the rendition I was planning. A quick and dirty sketch of the scene with a few less sticks.
Feeding Time
This is also my Thursday drawing for Z’s challenge for art at Zeebra Design.
Osprey
I haven’t posted an update on the osprey for a while so here is a pen and ink for fun. I think we have chicks in the nest, however we can’t see anything yet.
I think this parent is taking caring of a little bundle of joy.
The other parent waits patiently by the nest.
For about the last month a least one osprey has been hunkered down on the nest incubating the eggs. Late last week this pattern changed and now there is a lot of fussing about going on. I think they are feeding chicks or at least one chick. The chicks will hatch about a week apart.
Fussing around in the nest.
Time for some personal grooming.
Osprey parenting.
A view of the nest from the lumber yard.
The weather has been clear warm and windy here. In fact it hit 100 degrees last weekend. That is on the warm side this early in the year. I think it is going to get really hot up on that tower.
Another sunny day and a view out over the back forty.
Sandhill Crane
The Sandhill Cranes returned to Northeastern California late this Winter. I have been fortunate enough to see them on several occasions.
A lone crane feeding at Poison Lake.
Sandhill Cranes
Poison Lake
Cranes with friends.
Which way do we go?
Solitude
Ruffled feathers
I think Big Bird must have been a crane.
Poison Lake
Sandhill Cranes of Ash Creek Wildlife Area.
Every logging operation needs a log loader and there are all types of them. This pen and ink is of a Barnhart log loader from back in the railroad logging days. It was a big steam-powered loader for loading big logs.
The Barnhart Log Loader
Here are some of today’s loaders.
The heel-boom loader is today’s log loading staple. It is also referred to as a shovel by the loggers.
The front-end loader was the standard for years, but is still common in the woods.
The logging truck hauls the trailer, also known as a log dolly, in a piggy-back configuration. Here the front-end loader unloads the log dolly.
The self-loading logging truck has its own loader built-in.
I thought it was odd that the operator lowered the hood when he loaded his truck. I assumed it may be running hot. However, when he finished loading the truck, he went over to the engine compartment and pulled out a stick, which caused the engine to throttle down. He had wedged the stick into the throttle to keep the engine revved up while he was running the loader. He then put the stick in the tool box and said, “I gotta put it up here or the dog will run off with it!” Good thing I left Blitz in the truck.
In this picture, they used a front-end loader to assist the self-loader. Normally they use the self-loaders when another loader isn’t available.
This old green beast of a front-end loader was barely running, which is why they were using the self-loader. These were two weary old machines.
Blitz is seriously wanting the throttle stick right now.
Bald Eagle
I bet you didn’t know it’s Eagle Week. The fact is that I didn’t either. It just turns out that it was for me anyhow. Here is how it came to be. One morning early in the week, I was driving by the boat ramp along the river when I spotted this huge bird. It was a juvenile bald eagle and it was scanning the river for breakfast. I took some pictures and went on my way.
A juvenile Bald Eagle. It is starting to white up on the face and tail.
The next day, while driving through the foothills West of the valley, I came around the corner and lo and behold another huge bird. This time it was a golden eagle. I don’t see the golden eagles nearly as often. So I stopped and took some pictures.
The Golden Eagle
Advance ahead to yesterday, I was up in far Northeastern California. I was passing through the Ash Creek Wildlife Area when I came upon this beauty, a mature bald eagle. I immediately stopped in the middle of the highway, since there is no place to pull off, to take some pictures. Fortunatly, it is a lonely road and I could see for miles in both directions.
The Bald Eagle.
Sitting high on the power pole it had a commanding view of its hunting grounds.
Up close and personal, and giving me the stink eye.
This eagle wasn’t here by accident. It was here for the enormous congregation of prey. The wildlife area was absolutely brimming with waterfowl.
Waterfowl congregating in huge numbers in the marsh.
It wasn’t until I started to leave that I realized that there was a pair of eagles. The second eagle was sitting on the very next power pole.
Bald Eagle number two. It think this one was a young bird. Note the dark smudge on its face.
So you see, it was Eagle Week. Who knew?
Black birds feast.
The black birds hop from log to log. All the while, tilting their heads to and fro. Then after a brief pause they reach into the bark, and with surgical precision, pluck out a squirming grub. Then with heads thrown back they swallow the grub with the ease of an Olympic gymnast dismounting from a balance beam.
Hunting grubs on the burned logs.
This goes on all day in our log yard. As the logs from the fire salvage operations pour into the yard, so do the black birds. The swarm the logs for this feast of opportunity. Sometimes they engage in black bird battles for dominion over some particularly grub infested log. I think these birds get fatter every day. Soon they may not be able to fly.
Burned logs delivered to the log yard.
Salvage logging continues at break neck speed. The beetles invading the logs are an indicator of the oncoming decay. Next will be stain, splitting and then rot. Time and decay are our enemies. The black birds are a constant reminder of the ticking clock.
Ponderosa burn fire salvage. Where have all the squirrels gone?
Skidding logs with a big wheels and a team.
Skidding logs is the process of moving cut logs from the woods to the landing. The landing is where they are loaded for transport to the mill. After the turn of the last century, draft animals and steam were the engines of choice for moving these huge logs. The “big wheels” in this pen and ink, was the pinnacle of technology in ground based skidding way back then.
Cat rubber tire skidder
Diesel powered skidders are the work horses of today for skidding logs. These machines come in different sizes and configurations for different jobs. The rubber tire skidders are used on gentler slopes. They are built for speed.
John Deere skidder
The track laying skidders often used on steeper slopes. They are built for traction.
Cat track skidder
The forwarder is today’s pinnacle of technology in ground based skidding. It loads logs onto itself instead of dragging them.
Valmet Forwarder
Let’s not forget the original skidders, the horses. They can’t be beat for sheer beauty!
Horses near Burney Mountain.
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