Art – Page 6 – a curious nature

Never Underestimate this Pint-Sized Carnivore…. The Long-Tailed Weasel!

July 13, 2024

Such a surprise and total delight to find a long-tailed weasel hunting on our property! Busy probing numerous rodent burrows for an easy meal, he was too occupied to notice us staring in awe. What a beautiful little guy ……. from the white mask markings on his head, to his luxurious sable-colored fur draped over creamy buff-colored underparts; from his ground hugging, long, thin and sleek body, to his equally long or longer tail with a dashing black tip ……. the long-tailed weasel is a sight to behold!

Although their range includes southwest Canada, all of the lower “48,”Mexico, Central America and parts of northwest and southwest South America, seeing a long-tailed weasel is rare. Only one animal occupies a territory roughly 40 acres in size, which boundaries are aggressively maintained by frequent scent marking.

Even though the neighborhood pack rat, mole, squirrel and mice populations might suffer within a long-tailed weasel’s territory, we would enjoy and appreciate seeing more of this ferocious, pint-sized carnivore around our home!

Have you ever seen this or any weasel species? If you’ve seen this weasel (aka ermine) during winter, fully cloaked in brilliant white except for a black-tipped tail, ooooooooo! How lucky! Share your weasel observations please.

As always, Thanks for stopping by!

Surprise! A vine-y, twine-y desert milkweed discovery ……

July 9, 2024

Just when I was feeling confident about the morphology of the milkweed family of plants, a new twist on the familiar leaps out shoutin’ “ Hey, lookie here!” Expecting to see a common vine gracefully twirling its way up a desert shrub, I paused ……. searching for the crimson red trumpet-shaped flowers of Ipomoea cristulata (Trans-Pecos morning glory). But instead there was an umbrella of 5 flowers, each with 5 widely spreading greenish-brownish-mauve colored petals crowned in the center of an unmistakable floral corona, a sure fire characteristic of a milkweed! Could it be?

Oh Yes!

This unexpected, undeniable discovery had me puzzled though. It’s been two years since I created a detailed post about the Asclepias genus of milkweed (see Summer Botany: Meet the Milkweeds). At that time and throughout the decades prior, my knowledge of milkweeds was limited to Asclepias, and the specific characteristics of that genus.

But here was something new-to-me; so worthy of whatever time it might take to learn all about this find in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae), aka the Milkweeds. I quickly confirmed this vine does not belong with the Asclepias species of milkweeds, but is of the genus Funastrum, which is Latin for rope (funis) with twining stems (astrum), commonly referred to as the “twinevines.” And the full name of this plant is Funastrum crispum, commonly called Wavyleaf Twinevine.

Most of what I uncovered about Wavyleaf Twinevine is included on my 2 journal pages, along with some confusing taxonomy involving family and subfamily names, tribe and subtribe names, and how until 2012, this plant was known as Sarcostemma crispum. Curiosity about the taxonomic history will undoubtedly tempt me to sort through the confusion ……. maybe someday soon!

Have you discovered anything new-to-you in nature lately? What was it, and did it lease to more discoveries?

Thanks for stopping by!

Mysterious Parking Lot Encounters

May 25, 2024

Accidentally Seeking Landscaping Curiosities

Oops! I was caught without my sketchbook ….. but that didn’t prevent me from making a few interesting collections while waiting for a ride.

My curiosity unleashed, I began by wondering what voracious insect(s) tried to eat 1000x their weight in fresh cottonwood leaves. Then I noticed a very lovely leafy tree growing next to a stately pine, both of which were mysteries to me.

So I spent this afternoon sketching, painting, and looking over ID and reference materials, as much fun as collecting my three parking lot treasures!

If you find yourself “waiting,” how do you pass the time?

Thanks for stopping by!

Crazy for Locoweeds! Meet the White Point-Vetch

May 24, 2024

After a longer than planned for blog break, I’m glad to be back and sharing a few pages from my nature journal. Beginning in April, the riot of wildflowers popping up everywhere has, and still keeps me scurrying about my backyard, the “back 40,” and local hiking trails just to refresh my memory about familiar plant species while searching for new discoveries. I’ve been sketching daily, learning about new-to-me plants, and growing my knowledge about favorites.

Recording first seasonal sightings, it’s interesting to compare previous years’ emergence and abundance, and wonder why timings vary. For example, last year the white-stemmed evening primrose (Oenothera albicaulis) blanketed the hillsides with white; this year those beautiful white blooms have been scarce. Last year the tall crowded flower stems of White Point-Vetch (Oxytropis sericea) were few and far between. This year an explosion of these graceful plants that belong in the pea family (Fabaceae) began blooming in April and are still going strong!

White Point-Vetch, also called white locoweed, whitepoint crazyweed, and silky crazyweed, makes a striking bouquet that glows like a bright light as it blooms along tall flower stalks 15+ inches above bare brown ground. New stems push up through multiple dried stems packed with last year’s empty seedpods. But it’s obvious this species is an aggressive re-seeder; there are so many new plants this year where last year there were none!

It’s been a spectacular show!

Enjoying researching this species, dissecting a few fresh flowers, and searching for remnant seeds in the dried pods, kept me delving deep into the bits and pieces of what defines this group of plants. This large family, which houses well over 10,000 species world-wide, includes peas, acacias, mimosas, and licorice (see the list below for more residents).

The dried stem was drawn and shaded in graphite.

But one species at a time, please! Actually the locoweeds, which fall into the genera Oxytropis (like the White Point-Vetch) and Astragalus, contain over 600 species world-wide, 21 of which grow in the U.S. Many plants in these two genera are toxic, particularly to domestic ungulates. More about the toxin and what happens when these animals ingest even small quantities, along with other interesting facts are described on my two journal pages. ……

There is so much more to learn about this important family of plants, but I’ll save that for another post.

Thanks for stopping by and have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Thanks for stopping by …… have a safe and happy Happy Memorial Day!

Perky Sue!

May 11, 2024

It’s Spring in my neighborhood, and not a day too soon!!
Along with gusty winds carrying clouds of yellow pollen come drifts of an outrageously bright yellow ‘sunflower’ named Perky Sue.

How Perky Sue got its common name is a mystery. My best guess is this herbaceous forb, native to New Mexico, has to be the Perky-est, Happiest Spring Flower, Ever!

What is your favorite native flower signaling the arrival of Spring in your world? Does its bloom cause you to smile; perhaps you break out in your happy dance?

Thanks for stopping by …… and Happy Mother’s Day to all!

Zip! Zip! ….. Happy National Zipper Day, April 29th

April 29, 2024

National Zipper Day is a holiday celebrated on April 29th every year in honor of the invention of the zipper by Gideon Sundback in 1913.

*Zentangle patterns used: Oeillet, Snakin’, Ocip, Idea, Spoken, Tork, Nutz, Strutz, Pipez, Stem Out, Thoofen.*

While you’re having fun (or going crazy) chasing Flambé’s maze of zippers, here’s some very cool facts about the world’s largest Zipper manufacturer ….. YKK.

The initials YKK stand for Yoshida Kōgyō Kabushiki (Kabushibibaisha), a Japanese business that owns the most popular zipper brand in the world. Because of its cutting-edge technology and reliable materials, YKK continues to dominate the fastener market worldwide.

Today, YKK produces more than 50% of zips worldwide. Zips may be easy to make; they may have not seen much innovation in the last fifty years, and they may be simple but (so far) no other zipper company can compete against the YKK monopoly.

YKK, founded in 1934, manufactures and produces about 10 billion zippers a year. The YKK Group consists of two main operations – 1) the fastening business, and 2) the architectural products business. The fastening business, includes zippers made for the apparel industry, comprises about 40% of its global business. The architectural products business, includes products for windows, doors, curtain walls, and even bridges and ocean clean-up products for the oil and gas industry, comprises the other 60%.

The largest zipper factory in the world! The YKK factory in Macon, Georgia has earned that label. This mega factory boasts 14 modern plants and over 900 employees, producing 7 million zippers a day. These zips, which come in more than 427 standard colors, total over 1,500 styles including a luxury style called Excella, where all of the parts are highly polished!

What’s so special about YKK Zippers? They are amazing in their ability to self-lubricate the more you use them. Have you ever had a zipper that becomes sticky and gritty over time? If you check the brand on the pull, it will always be some lesser make of zipper. “Sticky and gritty” are nasty characteristics experienced with a YKK. As a matter of fact, the YKK brand zips up and down more smoothly the more you use them!

After learning a bit about YKK (my curiosity at last satisfied), I immediately ran around to all of our closets checking for the brand …….. hey, they’re all YKK! Now it’s your turn …… Check your zipper pull tabs! Are they YKK? I’ll anxiously await your full report!

On and on and up and down! Because I put so much detail and time into my Steampunked Zentangle tangle, I was going to make Flambé’s post to commemorate National Zipper Day short and sweet. But because there’s so much information about Zippers, my fascination grew exponentially, much like my Zipper maze!

Hope you enjoy this abbreviated overview about Zippers! If you’re heading outdoors to ponder this fascinating technology, don’t forget to Zip Up!

Meet an “Extreme” Creative!

April 8, 2024

After years of on-line and email chats, I was delighted when my friend Robin Atkins decided it was finally time we met in person! Bravo!

Robin and her travel buddy Lunnette, drove over 1,800 miles to Tucson to teach a Spirit Doll class to a local beading group. Then after spending 5+ days exploring Tucson and before driving home to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, WA, they took a “short” scenic 450 mile detour …… to Tijeras, NM. This out-of-the way drive would bring them to our doorstep, and our first face-to-face meeting! While in Tijeras, we were able to spend an evening and full day getting to know each other and spent time hiking, nature sketching, and sharing each other’s art.

Robin snapped this photo of me sketching out at Golden Open Space. The beautiful wind sculpted juniper trees growing along the precipices of the windy observation areas are absolutely captivating (and tough). Luna thinks they’re tasty!

Meet Robin

Robin, whom I’ve always thought of as an “extreme creative,” is a fascinating, energetic, curious, passionate and bright-eyed adventurer in her early 80s. Her many interests and skills, in addition to creating uniquely designed, hand sewn and beaded Spirit Dolls, include: quilting (many with bead embellishments), thread embroidery, book making, watercolor painting, Zentangle art, nature journaling, making decorative papers, poetry, weaving, collage, crochet, felting and book author. And she shares her skills and techniques by teaching.

This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means! As someone who seems to thrive on learning and developing new skills, Robin never stops seeking artistic challenges to take on.

Check out Robin’s beautiful webpage and blog (http://robinatkins.com) where you can find photos and posts highlighting her current and past creative projects.

A Short-but-Sweet Visit

We had a wonderful time getting to know each other, and what a delight to have also met Robin’s long-time friend and travel buddy, Lunnette. A retired firefighter in her mid 70s, Lunnette is also a nature journaler, calligrapher, quilter, and according to Robin, “she’s a terrific navigator, who always uses her keen sense of direction and map reading skills to keep us on the “right road,” (in both the literal and figurative sense).”

This is my finished graphite drawing of the twisted juniper I spent 5 minutes sketching.

Parting company was hard, but Robin and Lunnette needed to return home. Along their route they visited both Mesa Verde National Park and Arches National Park, soaking in more of the desert southwest sun and culture before taking on the 1,200 mile journey for Friday Harbor.

Memories!

Painting Bird Eggs with Jean Mackay

My notes taken and sketches/watercolor paintings created during the workshop

April 6, 2024

Each Spring, Winslow Art Center of Seattle organizes and hosts their Spring Fling! For four days, back-to-back live Zoom workshops are offered, featuring artists skilled in a wide range of media. Each workshop is free, a full hour long, and may include talks, demos, or a work-along. And all of the workshops are recorded for unlimited playback in case you miss one or all of the live sessions or want to watch one or more over and over again!

Each workshop is fascinating; there’s always something new to learn from all of the professional artists. But one work-along session presented by artist, educator and naturalist, Jean Mackay, I look forward to with exuberant excitement! Jean has been actively observing, illustrating and sharing, through her blog, stunning watercolor paintings of her daily encounters with nature for the past 20 years. Jean’s knowledge of wildlife and the many wonders found in nature are reflected in her illustrations. But there’s more! She always provides helpful tips and techniques pertinent to the development of her pages.
For Spring Fling! 2024, Jean’s workshop was all about creating realistic looking bird eggs. I’m not sure how she managed to cover so much material in a very short hour, but she did. Beginning with a bit of bird egg natural history (just enough to whet the appetite for more), Jean jumped right in by describing 3 basic techniques for sketching egg shapes. Defining edges, shadowing, coloring and marking eggs came next, and before I knew it, time was up!

Somehow during the excellent, well organized presentation, I felt compelled to try a sketch of my favorite nature journaler, Jean Mackay. Perhaps not as good as my eggs turned out, but a pretty recognizable likeness, even if I do say so myself!

Thank you so much Jean! Every minute was a joy!

You too can follow Jean’s artistic journey! Check out her webpage and subscribe to her blog at: http://www.jeanmackayart.com

And if you’d like to give egg painting a try, for free, the Winslow Art Center’s webpage at: http://www.winslowartcenter.com

Quite possibly the best tool of the trade …… Happy National Crayon Day, March 31st

National Crayon Day is a day dedicated to celebrating the beloved colorful drawing tool. Observed annually on March 31st, it encourages people of all ages to embrace their creativity and express themselves through art using crayons.

So much history ….. So much enjoyment!

But where to begin? Because I’ve posted about crayons in the past and didn’t wish to repeat myself (too much) … I dug deeper this time and learned something new … there’s a “place” called The Crayola® Hall of Fame!

Since 1904, when cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith sold their first box of 8 “Gold Medal” Crayola® crayons, colors have come and gone. There’s been an assortment of reasons for changing out colors such as unpopularity, social, racial or politically incorrect names, or discovery of a new pigment. The fate of colors also varies:

they may be renamed to better represent current trends or social acceptability (e.g. the color Chestnut replaced Indian Red and Peach is now the new name for Flesh),
they may be temporarily discontinued to make way for a new promotion or contest (e.g. plain colors have made way for a naming contest for sparkly or neon colors),
they may be permanently retired (e.g. Dandelion lost out to Bluetiful, to introduce the latest pigment discovery of blue)

And once a color is discontinued or retired (even temporarily) gaps are left in the box where each color lived, whether that be the small box of 8 Crayola crayons, all the way up to the box of 120!

One of my many rainbow-colored rabbit trails led me down the path to The Crayola Hall of Fame. I had no idea! Apparently there is such a place, established in 1990, populated with crayon colors that have been retired as far back as 1910. Most of these colors are now permanent residents in Easton, PA, where The Crayola Hall of Fame is located. There they are (re)learning the joys of coloring outside the lines, golf cart decorating, and marathon rolling. But some of the retired colors, having a taste of the easy life, have decided to rejoin the active ranks of worker-writers, painters, and scribblers, as re-employed annuitants.

The Short but Brilliant Story of Dandelion

Doesn’t look like annuitant status will happen any time soon for the self-retired, extremely happy-cheerful and brilliantly radiant Dandelion yellow Crayola. From 1990 through 2017, a short 27-year blip on the Crayola history timeline, Dandelion was the color lighting up the boxes of 24+. But when he heard a gorgeous new blue hue had been discovered, Dandelion graciously checked into The Crayola Hall of Fame allowing the exciting new Bluetiful to take center stage! What a guy!

Being honored with permanent residency in The Crayola Hall of Fame also means the retired color has gone out of production permanently. How lucky to have found two brand new, never before used Dandelions in my stash of crayons! And a single Dandelion is worth as much as $20!

$20 is also the value of each of the four recently retired (2003) Crayola crayons: Magic Mint, Mulberry, Teal Blue, and Blizzard Blue. I also own these four colors! You can do the math, but instead of cashing in on any of the 5 colors in my possession, I’ve decided to keep them, then created this floral page using only these colors for my post, showing off their beauty in celebration of this year’s ………………………………..

National Crayon Day!

Would you have done the same?

The Winds of Imagination

March 22, 2024

Reading this poem not only gave me the “lift” I was seeking on a dreary winter day…….. it was clear I wanted to design an illustration to further heighten the “lift” in anticipation of Spring and the new season of imaginative creation that was fast approaching!

Thanks to Michele Lee for allowing me permission to reprint her wonderful poem, Paper Airplane Pilot (March 6, 2024). Michele is a talented and prolific writer of poetry and prose, and a published author who lives in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. I look forward to her almost daily posts featuring something new and inspired on her widely-followed blog.

If you enjoyed Paper Airplane Pilot, your sure to enjoy her regular posts by becoming a subscriber to her blog, myinspiredlife.org

Enjoy! And a hearty “Thanks” to all my followers!