This first photo shows what my paintings start out like. After doing a series of sketches to achieve the idea and layout that I want to do, I do a simplified tracing on vellum paper over the final chosen sketch. I then redraw the tracing on the back of the paper in a soft pencil led so that when I lay the vellum over my board and rub, the drawing then appears on the board. I will keep this vellum drawing taped onto my painting until each part of the painting has been started. Then it is removed. I have blocked in the dark green around the subjects that I wish to remain light and vibrant which are the chipmunk and flowers. I have made sure that the dark green overlaps the edges of my subjects a bit.

In this next step, I have used gesso to reclaim my edges. The large grasses in the background have been started and the leaves are starting to appear.

Next, I continue to add the lighting values on the flowers and grasses. I have also started sketching in the taupes and browns on the dead tree stump. My paintings tend to look a bit like paint by numbers at this point, as there are not many subtleties yet.

Here I’ve started on the chipmunk. I’m drawing in the hair coat direction here in dark values and laying in cool and warm tones.

Here is a closer look at the under painting of the fur.

This next step shows a process that I think is very important. I was not liking where the tail was coming out of the rump on the chipmunk so I completely painted it out and redrew it in gesso. It is NEVER too late to change the structure of an animal on a painting.

This is the completed painting entitled Out For a Peek. The main subject in this painting is the chipmunk. I used the wide grasses and lower flower stem on the right to move your eyes in a circle around the painting, always landing back on that cute chipmunk face.

It is no secret that wind is a major force in Kansas. Of course this state is famous for big black twirling funnels that make for great monsters in movies. Indeed we do have more than our share of tornadoes. But strong wind that is unaccompanied by storms is also quite common here too.

My husband and I took a recent weekend camping trip with friends to a wetland refuge in the middle of Kansas, which is in essence the middle of nowhere. We camped under a small stand of cottonwoods on a creek in the middle of the prairie. What we didn’t know when we left and were totally unprepared for, was the weather that was to come. By the middle of the first afternoon, the winds had picked up to 30-35 mph with gusts of 40-45 mph. By dark the temps were down to below freezing. It was not storming where we were, although we learned later that south eastern Kansas and Oklahoma were having devastating tornadoes.

It starts to become difficult to stand up in wind gusts of 40-45 mph. We were there to photograph wetland birds and other wildlife. Holding a camera still in whipping winds is challenging to say the least. And of course the birds we went there to see wanted no part of it. (The next day when the wind died down the birds reemerged in mass).

The stars of the day, who seemed unbothered by the wind, were snakes. I am simply fascinated by snakes. This place was a herpetologist’s dream. In less than 24 hours we saw five different species and that was without even looking for them. They seemed to be everywhere. I’ve included photos below of some of the species that we found. For anyone who is squeamish about snakes, I suggest that you scroll down to the next web log entry…

This stunning beauty is a large Gopher Snake, also referred to as a Bullsnake. This is a non-venomous species that catches rodents with constriction. The Bullsnake is considered to be the most economically beneficial snake in Kansas, consuming large quantities of rodents such as mice, rats, rabbits, pocket gophers and ground squirrels. He also enjoys an occasional bird egg.

A close up look at that pretty Bullsnake face…

The fellow below is a Northern Water snake. He is a lizard and frog eater…

This decorative serpent (below) is the Prairie Kingsnake. He is usually a secretive fellow, but we were fortunate to find him soaking up some rays on a sandy roadway.

Prairie Kingsnakes are non-venomous constrictors, and eat a variety of prey such as small mammals, lizards, frogs, birds and other snakes including venomous ones. They are immune to the venom of North American venomous snakes and such snakes will use methods other than striking to escape kingsnakes. This makes the Prairie Kingsnake VERY beneficial to farmers, as not only will this species rid the farmer of pests like rodents, but also of venomous snakes.

This red striped beauty is a common Garter Snake. This was not only by far the largest Garter snake I’ve ever seen (she was HUGE) but she was also the most foul tempered snake we encountered on our trip. This was a snake with an ATTITUDE. She was all puffed up and very strikey.

This venomous beauty is the gorgeous Massasauga Rattle Snake. The word Massasauga means “Great river mouth” in the Chippewa language. This is the smallest rattle snake species in Kansas, although this one was a pretty good size. We found a much smaller one later in the day.

Here is his pretty face…

This feisty beauty is a black rat snake. I found him prowling around very near a nest of baby Eastern Phoebes. Eastern Phoebes are small birds of the open grasslands and are fabulous insect eaters. This rat snake most likely had his eye on this next. But the Phoebes were resourceful enough to build their nest out of reach of even this most talented of climbers. So for the time being until the baby birds fledge, they are safe…at least for now….

Each year in east central Kansas the month of May is ushered in with the brilliant color and especially beautiful song of the Baltimore Oriole. These birds typically are nectar lovers and are often attracted to hummingbird feeders. But this gorgeous fellow loves the sunflower chips in one of our feeders. Seeing a sight like this one right outside your window is a true shock to your senses. The orange is so bright that it has illuminated the feeder in orange too. I can’t imagine any creature anywhere that is more beautiful…

Like father, like son… This juvenile male Baltimore Oriole poses at our feeder just like his dad. He is a recent fledgling.

Here two of our most colorful birds enjoy a meal together. Gold finches are the most common year round bird at our chip feeder. I wonder what he thinks of this colorful newcomer…

Baltimore Orioles are right up there at the top of my list of favorite birds. Not only are they a feast for the eyes and soothing to the ears, but they are also unusually intelligent. And the acrobatics they are capable of are extraordinary. There is no position they can’t contort themselves into when solving complex problems. The phrase “bird brain” doesn’t apply here…

This bird is so cleaver that he has figured out a way to reach the nectar in our hummingbird feeder. The holes meant for feeding are too small for him. So he sips nectar from under the rim. I am impressed by his tenacity and ingenuity. I felt badly that he was having to work so hard at it. So he now has his very own Oriole feeder complete with nectar and grape jelly! He seems very happy about that and brings his whole family to “his” new feeder!

Yep, that grape jelly sure is GOOD!

On the opposite side of the color wheel to the Baltimore Oriole is the amazing little Indigo Bunting. He likes chips too. His feathers are actually black. They refract blue light thus making the bird appear to be blue. Like many colorful songbirds, his little wife is a drab brown. This helps her blend into the background while on the nest.

As it turns out, this little guy likes grape jelly too…