Creating A Series

"A series is a collection of paintings that, when viewed, leaves no doubt that the same artist created them all. The theme running through the work is stated and restated in different yet interconnected ways, and the viewer can look at the collection and understand more easily what the artist is trying to convey." ~ Lynette Ubel As a warm-up, I decided to do a smaller oil painting of several of the designs I'm using in my 2026 Calendars. This is a photo of my painting setup with the image sketched on my canvas board.

 Day 84 ~ SE-84-25

Rugged Mountains and Dynamic Glaciers

“The purpose of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is to protect a dynamic tidewater glacial landscape and associated natural successional processes for science and accessible discovery in a wilderness setting. Covering 3.3 million acres of rugged mountains, dynamic glaciers, a temperate rainforest, wild coastlines, and deep sheltered fjords. Glacier Bay National Park is known as Homeland to several Native American tribes, and is a highlight of Alaska's Inside Passage. From sea to summit, Glacier Bay offers limitless opportunities for adventure and inspiration.” ~ NPS  I didn't have an original line drawing grid copy of this park, so I redrew it today. I colored in my first two master copies, lol. I've become more organized and efficient as I've added pieces to this series. 

Day 82 ~ SE-82-25

National Parks Provide Refuge

"People traveling in the Shenandoah Valley in the early 1700s reported an abundance of various animals. As European settlers cleared land, hunted, and introduced domestic animals, wild animal populations decreased. Hunting eliminated American bison around 1798 and elk followed in 1855. Beaver and river otter disappeared in the late 1800s. The eastern timber wolf, eastern cougar, white-tailed deer, turkey, black bear, and bobcats were either extirpated or declined drastically. The exact number of native species lost is unknown. In the past century, most of these species have returned either through reintroductions on lands elsewhere in Virginia or through natural population recovery. The designation and management of the area as a National Park provides refuge to resident and migrating animals." ~ NPS
Day 81 ~ SE-81-25

One of the Last Remaining Wild Corners

“If we can teach people about wildlife, they will be touched. And humans want to save the things they love.” ~ Steve Irwin

“Big Bend National Park goes from an elevation of less than 1,800 feet along the Rio Grande, to nearly 8,000 feet in the Chisos Mountains. The park includes massive canyons, vast desert expanses, forested mountains, and an ever-changing river. Winters in Big Bend are generally mild, with the occasional short cold snap. Usually, the skies are clear, and daytime highs can run into the 70’s or higher. Under clear skies, however, it gets colder at night, sometimes freezing. With diverse wildlife across its many ecosystems, the park supports over 450 bird species, large mammals such as black bears, mountain lions, and javelinas, desert-bighorn sheep, elk, and even wild horses. Here you can explore one of the last remaining wild corners of the United States.” ~ NPS

Day 79 ~ SE-79-25

Amazing Variety

 "Big Bend National Park is located in Southwest Texas, a considerable distance from cities and transportation hubs. The park's varied habitats support an amazing variety of wildlife, including 11 species of amphibians, 56 species of reptiles, 40 species of fish, 75 species of mammals, more than 450 species of birds, and about 3,600 species of insects.” ~ NPS

Day 78 ~ SE-78-25

Small But Captivating

Although small in relation to some of our other national parks, Grand Teton National Park encompasses about 484 square miles of striking vistas and historic settings. The earliest archeological findings reveal that indigenous tribes inhabited the area 11,000 years ago. The rich history of the area, now known as Jackson Hole, Wyoming, includes many native tribes, trappers, explorers, homesteaders, and an entirely female town council in the town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, by 1920. This unique area inspires the imagination and uplifts the spirit of
 outdoor enthusiasts and history buffs alike.

 Day 76 ~ SE-76-25

Jackson Hole Wyoming

Grand Teton National Park is located within the Jackson Hole valley in northwestern Wyoming. Ten miles south of Yellowstone, it is much smaller, about one-seventh the size of Yellowstone Park. A diverse variety of mountain terrain and captivating wildlife can be observed and enjoyed here, on foot or in a car. There is a 42-mile scenic loop of its breathtaking scenery which can be completed in about two hours.

 Day 75 ~ SE-75-25

Many Ways To Explore Acadia

"Acadia National Park may appear small on a map, but the park encompasses nearly 50,000 acres along the Atlantic Coastline of Maine, including Mount Desert Island, Schoodic Peninsula, Isle au Haut, and other outer islands. 60 miles of coastline, 33 miles of scenic motor roads, 45 miles of carriage roads, and more than 150 miles of hiking trails provide numerous ways to explore the park."

 Day 73 ~ SE-73-25

A Special Place

 The Pinelands National Reserve is truly a special place. It's classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve. Established in 1978 by Congress as the country's first National Reserve, it includes portions of seven southern New Jersey counties, and encompasses over one million acres of farms, forests and wetlands. It is protected and managed by state and federal legislation and the private sector. The reserve contains Wharton State Forest, Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, Bass River State Forest, Penn State Forest,
and Double Trouble State Park. 

 Day 72 ~ SE-72-25

A National Treasure I Call Home

The Pinelands National Reserve is the largest forested area on the Eastern Seaboard between Maine and the Florida Everglades. The New Jersey Pine Barrens is the “ecological” term that describes the unique, beautiful and fascinating ecosystem and natural treasure that covers most of southern New Jersey. 

Day 71 ~ SE-71-25 

We Need Wild Country

 “Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed. We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than go to its edge and look in.” ~ Wallace Stegner

Most recent news pertaining to 'Alligator Alcatraz'.

Day 70 ~ SE-70-25

A Vast Diversity of Flora and Fauna

"The Everglades National Park spans across 1.5 million acres that stretch over the southern part of Florida.Visiting the Everglades allows you to explore a vast diversity of flora and fauna in different ecosystems: freshwater sloughs, marl prairies, tropical hammocks, pinelands, cypress, mangrove, coastal lowlands, marine, and estuarine." The Fight to stop Alligator Alcatraz.

Day 69 ~ SE-69-25

An Icy Volcano In Wildflower Meadows

“Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning five major rivers. Subalpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano
while ancient forest cloaks Mount Rainier’s lower slopes.
Wildlife abounds in the park’s ecosystems.“ 

 Day 67 ~ SE-67-25 

The Future Without Wilderness?

“I am glad I will not be young in a future without wilderness.”
~ Aldo Leopold

 Day 66 ~ SE-66-25

The Tonic of Wilderness

 Day 65 ~ SE-65-25 “We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.
 ~ Henry David Thoreau 

Day 65 ~ SE-65-25 

 “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” ~ John Muir • Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee and is America's most visited national. It is renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life. 

Day 64 ~ SE-64-25  

Wilderness is a Spiritual Necessity

“Wilderness to the people of America is a spiritual necessity,
an antidote to the high pressure of modern life,
a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium.”
~ Sigurd Olson

Day 61 ~ SE-61-25 

Wilderness Is A Necessity

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people
are beginning to find out that going to the mountains
is going home; that wildness is a necessity.”
~ John Muir, Our National Parks 

Day 58 ~ SE-58-25  ⛺️🇺🇸