Morels

I have been out in the woods painting some the past few weeks. Last week I set up and after working an hour or so I took a break to look at the spring ephemerals and found a bunch of morels about 10 yards from where I was working! Over a couple of pounds this season so far.

I have been painting trees and trying to figure out the color of bark - is it grey/green? reddish/brown? slatey/violet? Ochre, rust, light eggplant? They all seem to be present and I was having a really hard time. So I started going up to the trunk and putting dabs of the colors I was mixing right on the tree to try and match it. Pretty silly I know, because from where I was set-up, the atmosphere and changing light would greatly affect the perceived color.....

Trumpeter Swans

This photo was taken at the pond in my back yard. A pair of Trumpeter swans has been hanging out and they look like they are making a nest! How cool. Trumpeters are the largest North American waterfowl and they are the largest swan in the world. By the 1930's they were nearly extinct; thanks to the Endangered Species Act there are now over 5,ooo in the world. It sure would be fun to watch some cygnets (baby swans) grow....