ellen's amaryllis

I had the pleasure of plant-sitting for my friend Ellen earlier this year. Before heading southwest for the winter, she dropped off the most remarkable Christmas cactus and the most unremarkable pot of dirt which I was told contained an amaryllis bulb. I enjoyed sketching the cactus almost immediately. The bulb, on the other hand, mostly hung out in a cool, dark basement room where I watched the terra-cotta pot (for months) until, in her words, it stuck it's tongue out at me (through the soil). I then brought it upstairs, gave it a drink and boom. hello, amaryllis.

#WATERCOLORANDINK #FLOWERS

every evergreen ever

I'm asked about the species of this tree often and I don't have an answer because it showed up one day while sitting at my desk rather than outside in the woods. It's rare that I sketch from my imagination (having a preference for observational sketching) but I suppose one could make a case for this tree representing every evergreen I've ever seen.

#WATERCOLORANDINK #TREE

Lasiurus borealis

This is just getting started and will require a bit of imagination if you are going to believe me that this is a red bat (Lasiurus borealis). The color is a bit off. And it needs another layer or two and details but I'm pretty satisfied the first wash is suggestive of a bat if not a red bat. Or is it? I'm feeling really out of practice. Summer flew by without much sketching and fall is following suit. It felt good to be home sloshing paint this evening if only for twenty minutes. Also felt good to walk away from it before overworking/overthinking kicked in. I'm pretty sure this won't be the last time you see a bat on this blog. It's almost Bat Week in the world of conservation. And who doesn't love Bat Week?

#WATERCOLORANDINK #WILDLIFE