While walking along Fish Creek, in the south part of Calgary, Alberta I found a dead bird. It had the most amazing webbed feet; unlike a duck, they were lobed and the a beautiful green and yellow color. The bird was a nondescript gray and unfortunately the head was missing so I was not able to identify the bird for some time. Coots are able to walk under water.

"Laetiporus sulphureus" was done from the same group of fungus as the pastel paintings depicted.
This drawing was done on black paper, which made getting the very bright, light colors a real challenge.

"Chicken of the Woods" was the first velour painting I've done. An interesting surface to work on, it seems to take pastel and arrange it on itself, almost as if it's moving the dust around after I apply it! The painting was done from a series of photos I took in the woods behind our barn, where an old log had suddenly sprouted dozens of brilliant orange and yellow fungus. The late afternoon sun made the colors intense. I ran to get the camera and got the pictures just as the sun went behind the hill. Later I made several drawings and paintings of these fungus on different papers.
Chicken of the Woods is supposed to be very delicious but they just don't look edible to me.

Warner Creek Icicles was done from several photos taken near my home on Warner Creek, near the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. Lots of small rock cliffs, hemlock groves and marshy areas make endless opportunities for painting landscapes around here. I had been visiting some of the local 'ice caves' and then noticed there were many ice formations along the creek. Though small, the icicles picked up colors from the rocks and the water repeated it back; harmonics of light. These formations changed daily and sometimes will get quite large if there is a seep in the rock that keeps the water flowing.

Helena Marsh is a wetland area near the Wisconsin River. My father took us there fishing when I was a child. One day we were about to step out of the boat onto the shore, and almost stepped on a very, very large black snake. We made a very hasty retreat, which I never forgot. The water is deep and cold and some of the area was dug out for building the road and bridge decades ago.

One March morning the light caught the earliest hint of color in the trees; it was a simple scene of muted colors highlighted by the early morning sun. I left my camera on the side of the road after taking a picture and then becoming distracted by some birds. A man fishing there followed me as I drove away, until I stopped and he so kindly returned my camera.

One of my earliest memories of wildflowers is of a whole hillside covered in wild crocuses or pasque flowers, near Mazomanie, Wisconsin. These paintings were from my memories of a beautiful prarie park on the north side of Calgary, Alberta called Nose Hill Park, which was the only other place I've seen acres of wild pasque flowers blooming. It was a big place; a wild prarie hill area that was covered with pasque flowers in the spring. I walked there year round, day and night. Calgary spread across the prarie to the south but there, a few minutes walk from the city streets the smell of prarie grass and the feel of the wind could be found.

Drawing and painting make it possible for me to share a small part of the beauty and wonder I experience every day, living in the 'Driftless Area' of southwest Wisconsin. Many people can't be where the crane is wading or the pasque flowers are blooming; by creating an image of the experiences I have had, these daily miracles can be shared with everyone who could not be there in the field or wood with me.

I draw to share and foster the connection every human being has with the natural world we are part of. I draw to say thank you for the privilege of being present as the miracles of life unfold.

From my first discovery of colored chalk and crayons, I have been drawing. After a brief career as a childhood artist exhibiting at county fairs and school events, other interests distracted me for many years. But once in a while a friend's request for a wedding invitation or a graphic design an employer needed captured my interest and a few sketches were made.

I have no formal art training but have recently begun seeking out artists whose teaching interests me. The pure colors of pastels and the possibilities of clear, precise detail with pencil and pen and ink intrigue me. A simple line in ink or pencil can tell a whole story; so I continue to explore what these very basic tools can do when put to paper with the magic of imagination.

I invite you to enjoy the process with me!