Over 200,000 Acres of Protected Land

“Just 75 miles from the bustle of Washington, D.C., Shenandoah National Park is a land bursting with cascading waterfalls, spectacular vistas, fields of wildflowers, and quiet wooded hollows. With over 200,000 acres of protected lands that are a haven to deer, songbirds, and black bears, there's so much to explore. Today, Shenandoah is a refuge for many animals otherwise pressured by human activities. The Park is home to over 190 resident and transient bird species, over 50 mammal species, over 20 reptile and amphibian species, and over 40 fish species.” ~ NPS

 Day 80 ~ SE-80-25

The Owl and The Pussycats

6-25-12 - Today's watercolor painting of a Northern Spotted Owl on Yupo paper was done from yesterday's contour drawing. It was inspired by one of the many environmental organizations' "calls to action" that I get in my inbox everyday.

6-24-12 - I found this photo on Wikipedia that is copyright free and in the public domain. I added some words and made this poster with the image. Please follow this link and take action, yourself!

6-23-12 - I've been following a wonderful blog called the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee. They are currently doing their 2012 FUNdraiser! Laurie and her cat, Charlene Butterbean, have fostered over 150 kittens and each and every one is more adorable than the next! They do such a great job! Your contribution is tax deductible, so go and see all the wonderful things they will do with your donation!

6-21-12 - Another contour drawing of an adorable kitten!

The photos, videos and commentary at The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee is EXTREMELY entertaining! I now look forward to my almost daily cybercat cuteness fix. It's a must see and a "follow" for all cat lovers!

6-22-12 - Thursday's baby came to life on Friday with the sketch redrawn in black Prismacolor pencil and then rendered in watercolor on Yupo paper. What fun! This piece was done in under twenty minutes! And don't forget, June is adopt a shelter cat month!

Open your heart to art and kindness!

Snowy Owl

This sketch of a Snowy Owl was done from more than a half a dozen reference images. When I draw or paint something like this, I make sure I am not copying the work of someone else. Even if I have permission from the image owner to use their photo, I always strive to create an interpretation that is my own.

Our First Challenger Checks In!

I was happy to get this sketch and a nice email in my inbox this morning from friend and Cedar Run employee, Judy Scott. She writes; "I took up your challenge. Because I have access to Squam I combined two pictures. This is a sketch of Squam and a fledgling Barred Owl. In 2007 Squam was a foster parent to a young Barred Owl that came into the refuge. Although Squam is a male, he was a great surrogate, teaching the young one to eat and fly. Eventually the fledgling was released back into the wild. Thanks for all your support of Cedar Run."

Wow, Thank you Judy for the lovely sketch and a little backgound on Squamie! I hope your effort will inspire others!

Today I added the second step of my 6 Step System to yesterday's sketch. My motto is KISS - Keep it sensationally Simple!!

Twelve Minute Challenge Sketch

Here's my interpretation of this week's challenge sketch from Cedar Run Refuge that I posted last week in my very first post on June 1st. So far nobody has sent in any drawings, although a few of you DID say you were going to try it. I hope you guys won't chicken out on me. This does not have to be time consuming or difficult! I did this sketch today in my big sketch pad. I was trying for 10 minutes, but it actually took me 12. You'll notice I didn't get past the first step of my drawing technique. The whole drawing was done holding my pencil like a wand and using my whole arm. I squinted a lot while I was drawing and tried to get down the overall big shapes as quickly as possible.



I will still post any drawings you want to submit! Better late than never.

I'm also posting the new photo for this week's challenge. This is a herb garden that my friend Dorrie brought to me yesterday, along with three beautiful patio tomato plants and fertilizer! This little pot shown here has chives, oregano and rosemary in it. It has a wonderful variety of textures, directional thrusts and shapes. Thanks so much Dorrie. My friends are simply the best!


This one is super easy!! You should be able to get the overall shape down on this in under a minute with no problem.

A Great Horned Owl

Today's sketch is another one of Cedar Run's residents. These animals live out their life in captivity because they have either been injured or have been humanized so that they cannot fend for themselves in the wild. Humanization of wildlife, although well intended, is probably one of the most detrimental injuries.