A Rim With A View, Part I

Some 7,700 years ago two very spectacular geological events occurred in south-central Oregon that are now set to have a profound effect on my journaling. During the first event Mount Mazama blew its top. During the second "event" Mother Nature filled the volcanic cone with water, creating the deepest lake in the United States with some of the cleanest, clearest water in North America. (The record for visibility in the lake stands at 144 vertical feet!)

how's this for a rim with a view?

Fast forward 7+ millennia to 28 February, when I received a telephone call from the Education Coordinator at what is now Crater Lake National Park and an invitation to be the Park's 2013 winter Artist-in-Residence. Now, for those of you who are a flatlanders (like me) let me interject that "winter" in this case does not mean next November or December. No, in the higher elevations Oregon'c Cascade Mountains, winter means May. (And lest you think that's a joke I will share with you that I've been told that I can expect to find snow depths of as much as 8 to 12 feet when I arrive!) So, I've got just over two months to pull my kit together, get myself in shape, make my travel arrangements, and reestablish a rigorous day-long sketching routine. And I thought you might like to come along through a series of articles -- both as I prepare, and on the adventure itself.

So, in the next post in this series I'll share with you the kit I'm putting together for this expedition and some of the exercises (physical and artistic) I'm doing to get "in shape" our trek into the High Country. Please stay tuned -- and welcome aboard!

______________________________________________________

OK, I should probably apology to E. M. Foster for taking the title of his delightful novel in vain -- but, as you might imagine, I'm in a particularly "exuberant" mood, and my sense of humor tends to get a bit quirky when that happens.

Tiny Voices, Part I

Orange-crowned Warbler, Oreothlypis selata 

Winter is a delightful time to be a bird-loving naturalist in Texas! As with the rest of the winter-bound world, the deciduous trees have shed there leaves. It is much easier to see even the smallest species as they flit branch to branch, and even the softest of songs (no longer absorbed by the forest canopy) can be heard clearly. But in Texas, after no more than two or three days of overcast skies and maybe a bit of precipitation, residents can count on several days of clear skies and moderate to balmy temperatures. And if you're fortunate to awake at dawn on such days you're sure to be greeted by such brilliant sunlight and the sublime voices of a chorus of song birds that you may very understandably suspect that Spring has arrived early.

female Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis

On such mornings I frequently begin the day with a ramble (usually accompanied by our Welsh sheep dog, Hannah) along the serpentine stretch of the Trinity that passes through a stand of old hardwood trees behind our house -- frequently stopping to search out the source of one birdsong or another, some year round residents, some winter visitors, and some transients just passing through on their way to their winter digs in Central or South America.

Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina

I travel light on these walks (a small pair of binoculars, pen, pencils, and a pocket-sized sketchbook/journal for line drawings and notation) -- limiting myself to slow, careful observations, line drawings, and notes about everything from coloration to song to flight patterns to food to how they move about on the ground (if they move on the ground). If color is added to a drawing at all, it comes after I return home (usually over a warming mug of tea).

Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos 

I rarely get much of a physical workout on these excursions, but my mind is well exercised and my spirit salved. Life is beautiful and my little corner of the world is full of magic. (I hope yours is too.)

another Zeta double-page mockup (I'm loving this new paper!)

In Tiny Voices, Part II, I'll introduce you to some more of our winter-time avian visitors (this time with a focus on water fowl) and offer a few step-by-step tips on sketching your own winged wonders. I hope you'll join me then.