I watched the weather forecast get worse as the big day drew closer. I cleaned my lenses the night before anyway and attempted to calmly sip a coffee in Bee Cave, Texas that morning knowing we’d either get our moment or we wouldn’t. We did. The frustrating yet beautiful racing cloud cover obscured some of the phenomena I’d have liked to experience and capture, but there was a parting during totality and for that I am so grateful.
A few early flowering bulbs in the garden
There are many more on the way.
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A brief visit to California's Central Coast
The next six photographs document a predation event by a Steller sea lion on a bat ray.
This was another Steller sighting of a young bull in the company of California sea lions and cormorants near Moss Landing.
Aloe aculeata appreciation
The Sun is out, but it’s not going to stay that way for long.
Taking Flight (Barn Owls with Rocket Plume)
After being up late/early observing both a pair of barn owls considering their backyard nest option and keeping my eye on a SpaceX launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, I chose to combine the two inspirations into one mixed media painting.
Killer whale (orca) encounter in San Diego!
My dream of seeing killer whales (Orcinus orca) locally finally came true on December 25th, 2023. The orcas in my photographs are Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales hunting bottlenose dolphins. They’re more often spotted in Mexican and Central American waters and they also visit Hawaii. For anyone who may see this post and be concerned by how close we were, I was shooting with a 100-400mm telephoto lens and when they approached San Diego Whale Watch’s boat, the Privateer’s engines were cut. Quite a few of my photos here are cropped while maintaining the territorial views that give the sighting some context.
Happy Solstice!
Syzygy (Solar Eclipse) with Awakened Bats
Experiencing the Mexican free-tailed bat population waking up at Old Tunnel State Park and the annular eclipse on separate days led to daydreaming. I asked if any had stirred there when the sky was briefly darkened and was told they hadn't. I created my fantasy of the future total eclipse anyway.
Tapping on the image of the art will take you to my print on demand site. Please contact me directly for inquiries about the original mixed media painting.
2023 Earth & Sky Exhibit at Matthaei Botanical Gardens
My media painting titled Rising Comet with Morning Star was selected for inclusion in the 2023 Earth & Sky Exhibit at University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens. The exhibition will be on display Friday, November 24th through Saturday, December 30th. The reception is Sunday, December 17th from 2:00 to 4:00pm at Matthaei Botanical Gardens which is located at 1800 N. Dixboro Rd in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Matthaei is my alma mater's botanical garden where I took botany courses and fell in love with the orchids, cacti and succulents I grow in profusion.
I’m quoting myself here from a previous blog post about the piece:
“This mixed media painting was inspired by my sighting of C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) while in Avalon, California looking toward the mainland before sunrise. As always, I packed my DSLR, lenses and binoculars, but no tripod because I can be an idiot at times. I carried a sturdy chair from the hotel room to a high spot around 4AM accepting that I was being overly optimistic thinking it and a towel under my camera might reduce shutter shake enough for some long-ish exposures. I captured the green dot in focus once there was sufficient light in the sky to shoot handheld at f/2.8 with a high ISO. Still, the comet was there above the smog, more or less in the presence of ear-tipped feral cats and me before the din of golf carts and boat motors drowned out the lapping waves.”
Annular solar eclipse at the Alamo
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2023/24 Artist Alliance Biennial at Oceanside Museum of Art
My mixed media painting titled Crescent Moon with Venus and Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms is one of 75 artworks selected by juror Jonathon Glus, executive director of the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, from 1,149 submissions for inclusion in the 2023/24 Artist Alliance Biennial at Oceanside Museum of Art. The exhibition will be on display November 18th, 2023 through March 31st, 2024. The reception is Saturday, November 18th from 5:00 to 7:00pm at the museum which is located at 704 Pier View Way in Oceanside, California.
Rising Comet with Morning Star
This mixed media painting was inspired by my sighting of C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) while in Avalon, California looking toward the mainland before sunrise. As always, I packed my DSLR, lenses and binoculars, but no tripod because I can be an idiot at times. I carried a sturdy chair from the hotel room to a high spot around 4AM accepting that I was being overly optimistic thinking it and a towel under my camera might reduce shutter shake enough for some long-ish exposures. I captured the green dot in focus once there was sufficient light in the sky to shoot handheld at f/2.8 with a high ISO. Still, the comet was there above the smog, more or less in the presence of ear-tipped feral cats and me before the din of golf carts and boat motors drowned out the lapping waves.
Welcoming wildlife
Wanting this bobcat to have a good life in our yards that border nearby preserves is why I rooted for AB-1322 via emails to elected officials. Predators like bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes and raptors are skilled hunters that too often fall victim to rodenticides that travel up the food chain.
A few of my orchids
Island fox encounter
I could have fed and petted "Jasper," as the Catalina Island Company employees called him. I didn't and it wasn't because he was being treated for a nasty case of fleas by biologists. The more accustomed island foxes become to hanging around us for snacks, the more likely they are to come into contact with our vehicles and pets. This often ends poorly for the foxes.
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Passage series
Passage XIII (San Diego to San Francisco) has been selected for inclusion in Maryland Federation of Art's American Landscapes: Scenes from the Americas exhibition.
My long-running Passage series is a reflection on trips through storms, over mountains, deserts and water. Once twilight falls, humanity is represented by points of light that emanate from our homes, headlights and other anthropogenic beacons.
San Diego Comic-Con 2023
San Diego Comic-Con 2023 is here and my display in the Art Show is up. This is my ninth year participating counting the online pandemic versions. Much of my favorite art hanging in my own studio and home was purchased there. Artists from all over can participate in person or by mailing their work in. Our inspirations extend far beyond superheroes and our personal styles are varied. This is a really good thing in my opinion as only we can make our own work. What I create is simultaneously a reflection of and a piece of myself.
In Memory of Sea Turtles (Heron Island)
Heron Island, located in Queensland, Australia, is a dream come true for a birder, snorkeler and lover of sea turtles. One is also immersed in nature's brutality. Turtle hatchlings must brave a silver gull and blacktip reef shark gauntlet. My eyes watered more than once.
Prints may be purchased by tapping on the image of the art. Please contact me directly if you’re interested in owning the original painting.
92nd Annual Statewide California Landscape Exhibition
I'm pleased one of my mixed media paintings inspired by a place that's dear to me has been selected for inclusion in the 92nd Annual Statewide California Landscape Exhibition at the Santa Cruz Art League.
The exhibition runs July 12th through September 9th, 2023. The gallery's location is 526 Broadway, Santa Cruz, California 95060. The reception is Friday, August 4th from 5-8PM.
Short-leaved Dudleya (Dudleya brevifolia)
This watercolor painting is an homage to one of my favorite locally native species I visit on a regular basis. The starry blossoms that appear on these miniscule plants in late spring are roughly the size of my pinky fingertips.