Well, the title for this entry should actually read "A little watercolor work and some colored pencil" but that seems to complicate things a bit. This is a small study (3" x 3 1/2") of a peregrine falcon named "Sibley". She's the bird-friend of Kate Davis who runs the Raptors of the Rockies, a non-profit raptor education project here in western Montana.

Kate is quite the artist in her own right and has recently published a wonderful book, Falcons of North America. I had the opportunity to visit with Kate and Sibley while they were in Missoula for the Montana Festival of the Book back on October. I took a ton of photos while Kate was giving her talk (Why can't they make a near-silent digital SLR camera?!).

I have some additional sketches of Sibley planned in the near future as soon as I can open my new watercolor paints on Christmas!

I won't even pretend to have an excuse for the newsletter taking so long to come out. I'll just say that it's now a Fall newsletter rather than a monthly one several months late. I'll probably produce a Winter newsletter as well to keep things simple.

Click here to download the PDF version now (849KB file).

A recent trip to Yellowstone inspired me to draw several smaller studies of some of the animals. These studies are a great way of gaining an understanding of the form of each animal as well as their fur texture, pattern, and thickness of their coats at different times of the year. This female elk was grazing away in a grassy area at Mammoth Hot Springs. She caught the scent of something on the wind that caused her to lift her head from her forage and take a look at her surroundings. She quickly returned to her mid-day snack and grazed contentedly on the Spring grasses.

What a whorlwind week it has been! We arrived in Yellowstone on Saturday, June 7th and just returned home last night around 2:30am. We are still recovering from the trip but had a tremendous time! I have over 1500 photos from the trip including bighorn sheep, bison, black bear, coyotes, elk, ground squirrel, moose, mule deer, numerous birds including bald eagles and osprey, pronghorn antelope, along with numerous wildflowers, and a host of other scenic photos. I also have some photos of me that my wife took while patiently waiting for me to get "just one more shot".

We also visited the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center several times to round out our wildlife viewing experience with a wonderful collection of photos.

There will definitely be some new drawings in the immediate future.

Oh, and it was probably about time to update my 2008 Art Show Schedule before it's 2009.

Two black labs representing differences in age and temperment but sharing a common love for their owner.

Drawings > Portraits > Nikki & Becca

My most recent commission for a wonderful couple from Bozeman. It was a great pleasure to work with the owners. I was honoered to be present during the presentation of this drawing to his wife as a surprise birthday present. Thanks, Bob!

Drawings > Portraits > Angel

I completely forgot to post this image after completing it in February of 2008. I apologize to the owners for the oversight. Thank you for the wonderful comments after receiving the piece and I really enjoyed working on this for you.

My second drawing of Montana-themed objects. The saddle is the same size as the Rod & Reel drawing and is meant to hang together as a diptych (soon to be a triptych, I hope).

This drawing along with the one below will be revealed at my May exhibition at The Artist's Shop in downtown Missoula. There will be a First Friday kickoff event on May 2nd beginning at 5PM. I will be showing a large collection of original drawings as well as framed prints. The exhibition will run through the end of May. Details about the event will be posted on the gallery's web site as well as The Missoulian.

A return to charcoal and graphite pencil with my newest piece. It's also a return to non-commission work and the first drawing without hair since October, 2007. I am working on two additional pieces that are meant to have a similar format but represent the wide range of activities associated with Montana and the Northern Rockies.

I will be revealing the original version of this drawing at my May exhibition at The Artist's Shop in downtown Missoula. There will be a First Friday kickoff event on May 2nd beginning at 5PM. I will be showing a large collection of original drawings as well as framed prints. The exhibition will run through the end of May. Details about the event will be posted on the gallery's web site as well as The Missoulian.

I just completed a 4-dog portrait for a wonderful client here in Missoula. I really enjoyed working on these smaller drawings (each is 4" x 6") as it allowed me to focus on form rather than intricate detail.

I am pleased to announce that I am now able to sell notecards of some of my drawings. They are available for order here. I have 10 available cards.

They are $3.00 each. I hope you enjoy them!