The other night K heard owls in the yard and aimed his camera in their direction in the dark. He got a cool capture of a great horned owl looking back over its shoulder, which I used as reference for this sketch.
Bubo virginianus
Tag: nature
waisted passion
I just discovered this green passionfruit which has grown through the chicken wire and is now trapped, bulging above and below as it continues to expand. It’s too late to release it from its bind without harm to either fruit or wire.
aloe arborescens
The Aloe aborescens is going off like fireworks!
Helianthus annuus
Another birthday card. Quote is from Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse. I have an old paperback that fell apart, so I harvest it for found poetry.
prosthemadera novaseelandiae
My eldest daughter shares her name with a gorgeous New Zealand bird, so I sent her this painting as a Christmas gift.
The tūī is a boisterous, medium-sized honeyeater, with blue, green, and bronze colouration and a distinctive white throat tuft. Tūī are known for their noisy, unusual, sometimes soulful calls, different for each individual, that combine bellbird-like notes with clicks, cackles, timber-like creaks and groans, and wheezing sounds. They can imitate human speech, along with sounds like glass shattering, car alarms, classical music and advertising jingles.
Merry Christmas, Tui!
Photo reference by Sid Modsell, used under Creative Commons 2.0
melozone crissalis
The plants in front of the kitchen window have effectively stopped the bird strikes, and are providing a source of enjoyment for both humans and avians. It was fun to watch this California towhee hop on to the fuchsia frame to eat the ripe berries.
eucalyptus globulus
The blue gum Eucalyptus globulus, native to southern Australia, is one of the most widely planted eucalypts in the world*. The bark is mostly smooth, seasonally cream to pale grey to orange-tan, shedding in long strips which often remain hanging in the canopy. The trees are very fast growing (up to 60m tall), and tolerant of salt-laden coastal winds and cold temperatures.
The species has naturalised in California and become invasive in coastal areas. We have several advanced trees on our block; I don’t know whether they self-seeded or were planted by the original owner. Even though they don’t ‘belong’ here, and they drop fire fuel, we kind of love them …
*Source: Taller Eucalypts for Planting in Australia by Dean Nicolle
The art of soil
My daughter gifted me the four pan mineral suite from The Art of Soil. The pigments behave a little differently to regular watercolours, so I’m enjoying playing with them to learn their properties and how best to use them. They are very muted and grainy, which I love. They can be mixed with other brands to good effect. (The bright green above includes some Daniel Smith green gold.)
Plegadis chihi
I was walking the dog in Legacy Park when I spotted the distinctive shape of an ibis! It’s the first time I’ve seen one in America (they are very common in Australia). The white-faced ibis Plegadis chihi is sighted so infrequently in these parts that my birding apps didn’t even offer it as a possibility. But I checked with my naturalist friend Suzanne, and she confirmed the ID. It was a pretty metallic bronze-green colour. Made my day!
Chelonioidea
I painted this for a much-loved sailor, then realized that this is not the type of turtle that lives in their waters. Oops. Hopefully the gift will still be appreciated 😊
hashiworks 