Nature – Page 12 – Circadianreflections Blog

Lazuli Bunting Watercolor

July 8, 2016July 7, 2016Posted in #WaterColorMonth, Art, Birds, Birds of North America, Draw a Bird Day, Nature, Photography, Watercolor, Watercolor PaintingTagged #WaterColorMonth, Art, Birds, Create Art Everyday, Doodlewash.com, Draw a Bird Day, Learning to paint, Nature, Nikon, painting, Panasonic Lumix FZ200, Watercolor26 Comments

Here we are already on July 8th! Which means it’s Draw-a-Bird Day over on CreateArtEveryday, and it’s also #WorldWatercolorMonth created by Charlie O’Shields over at doodlewash.com.

Yesterday afternoon I felt inspired to paint a Lazuli Bunting I photographed back in May 2014. I used a Pentel Graphic Gear 0.7 to lightly sketch the beak, and snag it’s perched on, but kept the rest the painting loose. I’m pleasantly surprised how well it came out for not trying to sketch the whole bird.

The Lazuli Bunting is a Spring/Breeding visitor in my region of Northern California. I was very excited to see it him and add him to my “life list” back in the Spring of 2014.

Lazuli Bunting in Watercolor

The image I used as my reference is here. P52 18 of 52 Lazuli Bunting-1st yr Male

Paint, Paper, Brush:

Sennelier L’Aquarelle in Cinereous Blue, French Vermillion, Bright Red, Burnt Umber, Ivory Black, Naples Yellow Deep, Warm Sepia, Hooker’s green, Phthalo Green Light.

I painted this in my Strathmore Watercolor Art Journal 400 Series 8.5″ X 5.5″ 140lb paper.

Brush: Di Vinci Artissimo Rd #1

I’m posting this on both Creatarteveryday’s Draw a Bird Day, and #WorldWatercolormonth. If you have a moment please head over and check out the amazing work being done by artists all over the world.

More to come…

What’s blooming?

June 13, 2016June 13, 2016Posted in Art, Flowers, Photography, Watercolor, Watercolor PaintingTagged #NatureDoodlewash, Agapantha, Agapanthus, Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper, Art, Flowers, Nature, Panasonic Lumix FZ200, Photography, Sennelier, Watercolor29 Comments

My Agapanthus are blooming right now, and this sweet bud just opening inspired me to try to paint it.

Painted on Arches Hot Press 140lb watercolor paper, with Sennelier paints.
I used, Naples Yellow, Indian Yellow, Cobalt Violet Deep, Ultramarine Deep, Forest Green, Emerald Green, Burnt Umber, Raw Sienna, and Ivory Black.

I received a gift card to Amazon for my birthday last month so, I splurged on a Di Vinci Artissmo brush #1 rd. I used it, along with an Escoda Reserva #2, and a Robert Simmons Sapphire 10/0 brushes.
WOW, does the Artissmo brush hold water! I’m having to learn to paint all over again with this brush.

watercolor

I’m really happy with how this little bud came out. I’m feeling brave enough to try the whole pom pom blossom. To be continued. 🙂

Charlie O’ Shield’s over at doodlewash has invited artist, and dabblers in paint to tag their nature paintings, or watercolor work in the month of June to share our work using the tag

#naturedoodlewash. He’ll compile a list of all those who participated at the end of the month.

Image made with Lumix FZ200| Lexar Professional Digital Film| PS CC 2015

More to come…

Tribute Day May 14, 2016

May 14, 2016May 14, 2016Posted in Birds, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Global Big Day, Macro Photography, National Train Day, Nikon, Photography, TrainsTagged Amtrak Trains, Bird Photography, Birding, Butte County, Global Big Day, Macro photography, National Train Day, Nature, Nikon, Santa Clara County Birding, Toys, Train Spotting, Western Wood Peewee26 Comments

Today is National Train Day in the States, and it’s also Global Big Day 2016 in the Birding World. I thought I’d honor both here with a short post.

Back in 2012 myself and two friends Dali, and Phil were looking for a particular waterfall called Phantom Fall in Butte county. We hiked through a woodland forest, along railroad tracks, crossed creeks, and climbed grassy hills looking for it. While on a grassy hill taking a break I heard the rumble of a train, and the low train’s whistle and turned to find the train.

I waited for it to get around the curve hoping it was a long enough train to go around the whole curve. It was a wee bit short. 🙂 Still neat to see, and hear though.

We hiked, and drove a lot of miles that day looking for that elusive waterfall, but didn’t find it. Dali and I found it a year or so later, but I’m saving that story. Not enough time has passed yet. I need to be older and the tale a bit more aged before it comes out in public.

Amtrak train

Here’s a fun macro image I made of a toy Bachman’s Engine some of you may remember from a post I made last year. This is from a train set we used to set up around the Christmas tree when my kids were little.

Toy train

To honor Global Big Day and my love of birds here’s an image of a Western Wood Peewee.

I took this image while looking for the Gray Flycatcher posted here The Western Wood Peewee is a “lifer” for me! That was an exciting day of Birding with 2 “life” birds added to my list.

Western Wood Peewee

I hope you all have a wonderful week-end!

Nikon D700, & Nikon Df| Nikkor 70-300mm VR, 200-500mm VR, and LensBaby

More to come…

Gray Flycatcher

May 10, 2016Posted in birding, Birds, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Flycatcher, Nature, Nature Photography, Photography, San Jose California Nature Photographer, Santa Clara County BirdingTagged Bird, Bird Photography, Birding, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, California, Empidonax wrightii, Gray Flycatcher, Nature, Nikon, Photography, Santa Clara County22 Comments

I went birding on both Saturday and Sunday this past week-end hoping to find two birds I’d never seen or photographed before. I got lucky with really good looks on the first bird on my list: The Gray Flycatcher. A “lifer” for me!

Gray Flycatcher

There were other birders there looking for the same bird which made the experience more fun and exciting. It also helped to have several pairs of eyes, and ears on the lookout.

Gray flycatcher

It’s migrating south, and this one is further west than it’s regular migration route.

Gray Flycatcher

He was pretty far away from me, and in the shadows of the trees so I boosted my ISO to keep up my shutter speed to prevent blurring, and these images are cropped.

Sunday I went back to look for the second bird on my list, but I was not successful. I’ll have another go this week-end if I hear it’s still in the area.

Nikon D700| Nikkor 200-500mm| Lexar Professional Digital Film| Tripod|

Note to self- take the bug spray! I got eaten alive by mosquitoes!

More to come…

Thursday Doors 18/52 Historic Alviso Revisited

May 5, 2016May 4, 2016Posted in Alviso CA, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Doors, Nature, Photography, Santa Clara County, Shorebirds, Thursday Doors, Urban DecayTagged Alviso, Architecture, CA, Doors, Golden Hour, Marsh, Nature, Nikon, Photography, Rust, Santa Clara County, Sunset, Thursday Doors, Urban Decay, Western Sandpipers28 Comments

I went out to Alviso, CA this past week to look for a Little Stint which is a shorebird, and very rare to this area. I didn’t see the Little Stint unfortunately, but I did see a neat rusty, and sagging door at the old Bayside Canning Company. This Canning Company has been closed since 1936. I blogged a little about the Canning Co. & town here.

Rusty Door- Photography

The city is letting the buildings decay, and they are currently being used by the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory.

The Little Stint has been hanging around the Western Sandpipers, and I did see some that were close to me. Sadly the Little Stint wasn’t hanging out with this group.

Western Sandpipers- Photography

There are deck walkways that take you right across the top of the marsh and you leave

the deck via a facade like doorway to the levy’s that surround the ponds. You can walk around these or just gaze at the view. Back in September 2009 I happened to be there early in the evening for Golden Hour; it was gorgeous.

Alviso Golden Hour Fall 2009

Top two images- Nikon D700| Nikkor 200-500mm| Lexar Professional Digital Film| PS CC 2015

Bottom Image- Nikon D90| Nikkor 70-300mm VR| SanDisk Digital Film| PS CC 2015

This post is part of Norm 2.0’s Thursday Doors. If you love doors and would like to see the doors others are posting, or post doors you’ve photographed and join other door lovers from around the world click here.

At the end of Norm’s latest Thursday Door post is a little Blue Link-up/View button click it to be taken to a page with all the links, or add your own.

More to come…

What’s Blooming?

May 3, 2016May 3, 2016Posted in California Wildflowers, Close Up Photograhy', Flower Photography, Macro Photography, Nature Photography, Nikon DF, Photography, Santa Clara County, White Yarrow, WildflowersTagged Blur, Bokeh, California, hiking, Macro photography, Nature, Nikon Df, San Jose, Santa Clara County, Spring, White, Wildflowers, Wildflowers Western US, Yarrow18 Comments

White Yarrow- from a quick hike Sunday morning. I went early while the wind was calm. I was the only person on the trail both going and coming. It was wonderful having the hills to myself for just a little while.

Nikon Df| Nikkor 28-105mm + Canon 500D Close-Up lens| Delkin Digital Film

More to come…

Happy May Day!

May 1, 2016May 1, 2016Posted in California Wildflowers, Diablo Mountain Range, Macro Photography, May Day, Photography, Santa Clara County, SunflowersTagged #funwithfriends, California, Diablo Mountain Range, Macro photography, May Day, Narrow-leaf Mule's Ear, Nature, Nikon, Santa Clara County, Spring, Wildflowers22 Comments

I don’t have a May lily to share today, but I do have a sunny Narrow-leaf Mule’s ear. I made this image up in the mountains above Santa Clara Valley last Sunday evening.

Lensbaby w/soft focus optic- Flower

I hope you’re all having a wonderful May Day, and week-end.

Nikon Df| LensBaby Composer Pro w/soft focus optic + 8mm macro converter| Delkin Digital Film| Hand-held

More to come…

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