Apache Mountain God Dancer

I occasionally get to go to the Smithsonian museums on the Mall in DC.  The Native American Museum is great and I could spend a month just doing sketches of the things they have on display.  This is on permanent display and is An Apache Mountain God Dancer.  I did a quick sketch as I was doing at art lunch hour and had to run back to the office.

Fort Storey Lighthouse Virginia

This is a quick sketch of one of the lighthouses at Fort Storey, Virginia.  There are two there, one in from the days of George Washington and is one of America's first public works projects.  This is the new modern one.  We had to rush as a storm was starting to come in.  This is more of a reference sketch for a painting I plan to do in the future.  Eventually I would like to go back and do a plain air painting on site with both lighthouses.

Sparrows

Sparrows are some of the most common birds in the United States.  The top one is a male House Sparrow in breeding plumage.  The bottom one is a juvenile House Sparrow taking a dust bath.  I did both of these in colored pencils.

Happy Mother's Day - Alaska

Happy Mother's Day!  This is a sketch dedicated to my Mother.  My wife and I went on a cruise to Alaska last September with my parents.  It was a great trip and I started out doing some sketches while the ship passed by the scenery.  Unfortunately or fortunately the scenery was too spectacular to keep up so I reverted to just taking photos and really quick notes on colors and ideas for later paintings.   It felt like I was drinking from the visual fire hose.  I definitely want to return to Alaska but at a slower pace so it can be enjoyed and savored.

Tufted Titmouse

SO I don't know who names these birds or why but, the Tufted Titmouse has one of the oddest names.  They look like a cross between a cardinal and a Blue Jay but they are smaller.  They are a favorite here in Maryland at the feeders. I used colored pencils on this sketch.

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.