Buddy is on his wayBuddy the Wayward Wolverine will be back again in 2014. A new adventure with Buddy will be out this year. Watch for him! Buddy the Wayward Wolverine is available at Red Tail Publishing.
American Black Bear, (Ursus americanus), the biggest predator in our woods.
When working in the woods I’m usually alone, but really never alone. Do you ever get the feeling that someone or something is watching you? I had this big brute spying on me one day. He didn’t think I noticed him.
My neck is tingling! Is someone there?
The watcher was a big black bear boar.
Now, to answer the age-old rhetorical question.
You know the question. Yes indeed, they do poop in the woods. Just sayin’.
Hey, where’s my fierce guard dog?
Blitz decided she would wait it out in the truck. She knew the bear would leave after filling up on a yummy forester meal.
I have an announcement.
Your regularly scheduled installment of Forestry Friday will be back next Friday. I gave the Forester Artist the day off since he has worked so hard lately.
South end of a North bound turkey.
Okay, truth is he ate too much turkey and he’s sleeping in, the lazy bum, but you didn’t get that from me. Since, it’s the downhill side of the Thanksgiving holiday I’ll let it slide just this once.
Happy Thanksgiving!
To show my appreciation for all of you out there, I made you a turkey. Enjoy, it’s a guilt free turkey with zero calories, it’s vegan and it won’t give you gas. Thank you all for stopping by.
On a side note I managed to loosen up my painting a bit with this turkey. After the attempt with the bluebird post I had to take drastic measures. The secret technique I devised involved a bottle of Petite Sarah and while watching Dancing With the Stars. Please don’t tell anyone. No self-respecting Forester Artist should be caught doing such a thing. However, it did loosen up my brush!
No turkeys were harmed in the making of this post. Sorry, I can’t say the same for dinner.
This gallery contains 7 photos.
I felt like painting something different the other night, but then it went all wrong. I picked this bluebird, from Bird On A Wire, not because the subject matter was different, but because I want to play with a different … Continue reading
This gallery contains 8 photos.
We affectionately call them “Nature Nooks”, but the official name is “Habitat Retention Areas” or HRAs. Simply put, they are groups of trees left unharvested inside a logging unit. The purpose is to leave mature tree thickets that provide hiding … Continue reading
Gopher Snake
We just returned from a visit to family in Arkansas and Louisiana. I took my sketch book with me as I usually do. I don’t get as much art time as I like so I grab it when I can. I had the brilliant idea that I could draw on the plane. I worked on one pen and ink, that has been a WIP, on the way there. The ride was pretty smooth and I will post that picture in the future.
The return trip was a little different. We had a four-hour leg from Houston to Sacramento. I decided to challenge myself to complete this snake picture during the flight. After subtracting the takeoff and landing and a couple visits from the drink cart, no adult beverages were involved, I really had less than three hours. I had no help from the pilots, whom I am sure sought out as much extra turbulence as they could. The line work is a bit spastic, but I hope it communicates snake. Despite the turbulence and sitting in the middle of a three seat row in economy between Mary, small, and some 7’5″ guy on my right, yes I’m right-handed, I managed to finish it. It is a good thing for me that snakes don’t have any straight lines!
My model!
I photographed this little gopher snake late this Summer. It was my “Snake On The Plane.” Mary thought I should have titled this post “Snake, Rattle and Roll!” Great title, if it had been a rattlesnake I would have used it.
This gallery contains 5 photos.
Without a doubt squirrels are the most visible mammals in the forest. Now is their most active time. With acorns dropping from the oaks like big hailstones, the squirrels are in high gear. When I stopped to get a picture … Continue reading
Why a blue bird on a fence? I say “why not!”
This gallery contains 5 photos.
If you’re out in the woods and you find a big W painted on a tree, just remember W is for wildlife. When planning and laying out a timber harvest, foresters have to protect the other resources in the forest, … Continue reading
THE FORESTER ARTIST 