Purple Martin

The Purple Martin is nature's mosquito control bird.  They are cousins to the swallows, another bug eater.  Keep your eyes out for the people who build the large white bird houses on poles, or they make the gourd birdhouses and place them in their yards as nature's bug controllers.   It is hard to capture the purple sheen of their feathers, but that is what I have tried to depict with colored pencils.

This is an Alaskan Sled Dog waiting his turn at the practice sled.  The dogs were excited beyond belief and unhappy when they did not get a turn as fast as they wanted.  I have an Yupik Indian friend who keeps this dog team ready and trained for his winter travel because he got sick of his "Snow Machine" breaking in a blizzard.  The drawing is done in colored pencil.

Point Retreat Lighthouse, Auke Bay, Alaska

This is another view of the Point Retreat Lighthouse at Auke Bay, Alaska near Juneau.  Last September, I traveled with the family up to Alaska.  We traveled along the Inner Passage and checked out Glaciers, Bears, whales, Seals, and lighthouses.

Point Retreat Lighthouse, Alaska

This is a pencil sketch of the Point Retreat Lighthouse in Alaska.  We saw this last September while on a Whale Watching tour out of Auke Bay.  During the tour, we saw this lighthouse and other one in addition to Bald Eagles, Sea Lions, Seals and Humpback Whales so it was an excellent wildlife and site seeing trip.  Get there if you can.

Sparrow and Cheery Blossoms

This is another Sumie style watercolor of a Sparrow and Cherry Blossoms. This is a classic style, I copied to learn the basic brush strokes and to think about the composition.  Plus I really liked this one.

Hummingbird

This is a Sumie exercise.  It's a watercolor japanese style.  This is not one if my designs, but is a practice piece which I did ten or twelve times for practice.  Each time I varied this was the best one.

Memory Sketch - the Wife

So if you want a challenge try memory sketching.  This is probably the best of the dozen or so I have tried.  I did this sketch without the wife being present and from memory.  Its not a bad likeness, but it needs work.  The other memory sketches will not see the light of day.  More practice needed.