Northwest Coast of Washington Trek

I have dreamed of visiting the most north western portion of Washington and walking the coastline. It is claimed to be one of the most spectacular places to see in Washington.

It lives up to its reputation!

Shi Shi Beach

My good friends, Maxine and Ray, are seasoned hikers and invited me to join them on a three night - four day trek from Sand Point to Shi Shi Beach. Having been there before, they knew the ropes (pun, tee hee). Although this is not a long hike in miles, it is very tedious and challenging scaling the cliffs, climbing over rocks, walking on rocks and in slippery tide pools, fording a river, and knowing the tides and terrain necessary to cover so as not to be trapped. Definitely not the average hike!

Here I am ready to go......

You might notice that I do not have a huge backpack.....

Instead, I had Sherpa George.*

Ray, George, Maxine at Ozette River Bridge

We were graced to share this beautiful place with many of the coastal wildlife. Eagles nested in the trees by our campsites and flew overhead, even displaying talon grabbing behavior. The first evening we watched whales swimming South. We walked along side of deer, and shared the river with an otter. There was a plethora of starfish of various sizes and colors, two octopus sightings, and an array of sea critters and sea plants.

Sea life.....

The ropes......and there were MANY!

More fabulous scenery.....

Eagle posing for photo....

*George's backpack broke before departure. In order for all of us to go on the adventure, George and I had to consolidate our stuff.

The "Maxinator" decided what goes and what does not. The next thing I knew, I had my own personal Sherpa :)

Thank you, Maxine!

Sunday Sketches

One day I was driving to our favorite walking spot and I saw my friends on the bridge at Woodard Bay in Olympia, Washington, watching and taking photos of what?

Stopping I learned that the Mama Mergansers will carry her babies on her back to move them. Later when I got home Barry sent me an e-mail with photos! Barry Troutman is not only a great photographer but also a wildlife specialist who shares his knowledge about what you are looking at when you are with him. Even in his e-mails!

"Here are some of the birds we were watching today down by the bridge. The Mergansers nest upstream, then move downstream with their broods within a day of hatching. Once they head out, they don't return, but spend their early days growing up out in Chapman Bay or outer Woodard Bay beyond the trestle."

The photo is dated July 1st, but it has taken me this long to capture Mama and her ducklings in my sketchbook.

It is Just Paper!

My classic line when I work with people creating art who are critical of their artwork is, "It is just paper, not to worry."

Well this line takes on a new dimension after viewing paper sculptures by Canadian artist Calvin Nicholls.
My good friend and artist, Judi Colwell, introduced me to him.

I use the expression this time as.....
"Oh my gosh, it is just paper!"

There is nothing simple or ordinary about his paper art. Where we would use a piece of paper and a pair of scissors, Calvin uses everything you could possibly think of to carve, cut and rip perfect details onto his creations. The motifs are mostly wildlife and the details are truly amazing. One can not even fathom the time it must have taken to create these masterpieces of art.

Here are two of my favorites:




Be sure to visit his website to see more ASTONISHING JUST PAPER creations.

Sunday Sketches

I am still engrossed with images and paintings of my experience in Peru.....it is almost like being there!

At the end of my adventures in the Sacred Valley, I flew to Puerto Maldanado where I embarked on a boat down a tributary of the Amazon River to EcoAmazonia Lodge. The lodge is nestled on 10,000 acres of wildlife preserve which I explored with a small group lead by a native Peruvian guide. The rain forest is awesome!

I have a passion for the bird of paradise flower. The huge species found in the rain forest is gorgeous! This batch of birds lived outside my little bungalow which was home for four days. I made time between hikes and viewing wildlife to create a sketch of the Amazon bird of paradise.

Wildlife Artist of the Year 2010

For the past three years, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation hosts an international art competition to help save wildlife. 50% from all art sales goes towards supporting DSWF's wildlife projects.

The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation is a small, effective charity funding key projects in Africa and Asia working to save critically endangered mammals in the wild. DSWF supports anti-poaching and conservation projects throughout Africa and Asia making a real difference to the survival of critically endangered mammals.

Wildlife Artist of the Year 2010 Title goes to Adam Binder. Adam’s beautiful bronze of a polar bear clinging to ice entitled "Sinking Feeling" was a unanimous choice among the panel of judges. Along with the title, Adam also received a £10,000 cheque generously donated by the exhibition sponsors.

Sinking Feeling
Adam Binder
Bronze

To see more entries and available work for sale, you can download the catalogue. Learn more about the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.

Earth Sanctuary

I just returned from a personal retreat to Earth Sanctuary on Whidbey Island, Washington. Earth Sanctuary combines exemplary ecology with art and spirit to create a sanctuary for birds and wildlife and a peaceful place for personal renewal and spiritual connection.

Here are some photographs:

Dolmen
A dolmen is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of three or more upright stones supporting a large flat horizontal capstone. Megalithic tombs are found from the Baltic Sea and North Sea coasts south to Spain and Portugal.

I spent a rainy morning inside this dolmen and was treated to several visits by a hummingbird.

Earth Sanctuary has two stone circles:



Many stone circles can be found in the British Isles and parts of Western Europe, mostly lying not more than 100 miles from the sea. Other than my fascination with stones, the sanctuary has three lovely ponds inhabited by birds and ducks.


I also watched the resident Osprey; here is the nest:


This 72-acre preserve is possibly the largest ecological restoration project ever funded by an individual. Guided by a panel of experts, in 2001 Chuck Pettis launched a 500-year plan for returning the site to old-growth forest not only teeming with native species of plants, bird and animals, but also reverberating with spiritual power from installations of humongous rock megaliths.

It is a delight to visit!

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

Today I visited the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge just outside of Olympia.



The Nisqually River Delta, a biologically rich and diverse area at the southern end of Puget Sound, supports a variety of habitats. Here, the freshwater of the Nisqually River combines with the saltwater of Puget Sound to form an estuary rich in nutrients and detritus. These nutrients support a web of sea life - the benefits which extend throughout Puget Sound and beyond.

Nisqually Refuge has become an increasingly important place for wildlife, especially migratory birds. Western sandpipers and other shorebirds feed and rest on the estuarine mudflats and marshes. Ducks and geese feed and rest on the freshwater ponds and marshes.

Spring brings many songbirds - goldfinches, warblers, and tree swallows can be seen in the forests and fields. Woodpeckers, hawks, and small mammals are found in the woodlands, croplands, and grasslands. Mixed conifer forests on the bluffs above the delta provide perches for bald eagles and osprey, and a nesting site for a colony of great blue herons. Salmon and steelhead use the estuary for passage to upriver areas.

It is a great place for hiking, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, fishing, and environmental education to learn more about the natural world and the importance of places rich in beauty and biological diversity.

Woodard Bay

Today my friend and I visited Woodard Bay Natural Resource Conservation Area; 678 acres of coniferous forest on saltwater bay. A sanctuary for a variety of birds, harbor seals, river otters, bald eagles, a colony of bats, and an important great blue heron rookery. The 678 acres encompass maturing second-growth forest, the waters of Woodard and Chapman bays and a rich history that spans from American Indian use to settlement in the 1850s and Puget Sound's logging era.

It is a good place to come and learn about the former uses and about the area's abundant wildlife -- 175 species of birds have been recorded here. Mink are active during the day, and careful watchers can see these members of the weasel family along the water's edge.



Natural Resources wants to protect the scenic, archaeological, historical, cultural and ecological values in what amounts to an urban wildlife refuge only 15 minutes from downtown Olympia. But the primary concern is ecological values.

Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009

The Wildlife Artist of the Year Competition offered a platform to many artists from around the world to showcase their work, raised significant funds to save critically endangered wildlife, and helped spread awareness of the desperate plight of wildlife.

Australian artist, Pamela Conder, won the prestigious title of Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009.


Category Winner - Endangered Wildlife
Pamela Conder (Australian) - 'Chimpanzees Reflections on Ageing'

Overall Runner-Up


Category Winner - Wild Places
Paul Bartlett (British) - 'Fading Out'



You can view the online exhibit.

You can also vote for your favourite work in the 'People's Choice' category.

Simply email the title of your favourite to dswf@davidshepherd.org.
Your name will be automatically entered into a free prize drawing to
receive a limited edition print of 'After the Rains' and
the winning artist will get a prize too!
Closing date for entries in June 26th.

What is Your Favorite Subject Matter?

Katherine Tyrrell recently conducted a poll on her blog, Making a Mark, regarding artist's favorite subject matter.

Here are the results of the poll for which 173 responded.

24% Portraits/Figures
18% Scenes-landscapes/urban/interiors
16% Animals/wildlife
15% Anything and everything
12% Flowers/Botanical art
8% Still life
5% Conceptual/symbolic
3% Narrative (main-focus, story)


Katherine Terrell's analysis of the polls:

Portraits / Figures are the most popular subject for artwork. Around a quarter of the artists like drawing and painting people and figures best of all.

Add in animals/wildlife and creating portraits of living beings accounts for some 40%of respondents

The second most popular subject are scenes - whether these are landscapes, urban scenes or scenes of interiors - 18% prefer 'the big picture'.

People whose favourite subject is Animals and/or wildlife accounted for 16% of the responses.

In the middle of the poll, we find that 15% of the artists like to draw and paint anything and everything. This figure could have been a lot bigger. However I rather suspect that some of who tend to draw or paint more than one subject had to make a decision about whether we said we genuinely had no preference (ie anything and everything) or whether we did have a favourite.

Drawing or painting flowers or producing botanical art attracted 12% of the poll - which is 50% more than the number who voted for still life as being their favourite subject (8%)

Only 5% are motivated by ideas and involved in the development of conceptual or symbolic art. I'd expect to get a much higher percentage than this if I was asking full time professional contemporary artists. I'm wondering whether this very low percentage is because most readers of my blog are people who don't routinely produce art based on an idea.

Even fewer (3%) had any sort of narrative commonly running through their art.