Wa ka ve?

Red-tailed hawk

2012-02-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

A painting of a red-tailed hawk from San Simeon, a sea side town near Morro Bay. Along Hwy 1 that passes through this town, one can see several of these hawks perching on fence posts...not as many as in the Central Valley, but numerous enough to enjoy. "San Simeon's eyes", watercolor on hot-pressed paper, 10"x14".

Morro's Peregrine Falcon

2012-01-19T22:57:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of learning about this bird from the folks at Pacific Wildlife Care during the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival. The peregrine falcon was in the endangered species list from 1973 to 1998. DDT, a pesticide that thinned the egg shells, was the culprit. By 1972, the year I was born, this species was gone from the East Coast and there were only two pairs left in California. One of the pairs was in Morro Rock which was instrumental in the recovery of this bird. The eggs from this pair were incubated and used for captive breeding by biologists. Now, they're fully recovered. It truly is amazing how close the peregrine falcon was to extinction. This painting is titled "Watching over Morro", watercolor 10"x14".

Cape buffalo

2011-11-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

Cape buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) are really fun to paint probably because they have some similarities to adult human, male facial features. Another name for an old buffalo bull is “dagga boy”. I don't really know the origins of that name although I do know dagga means mud in Zulu. This is a painting of an old Cape buffalo bull, known to wallow in mud. I saw a herd of these guys in South Africa's Kruger National Park and I specifically recall looking at a really majestic bull. I hope I am able to capture that bull's intense look with this painting. "Old Cape", acrylic on canvas, 22"x12".

Acorn woodpeckers

2011-11-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

Acorn woodpeckers have a pretty complex social system where communal nesting and food storage play a big part. Acorns are stored in trees called "granaries" and is an important food source for the winter. This painting shows a couple of acorn woodpeckers collecting and storing acorns in a granary. "Tic-tac-toe, acorn woodpeckers", watercolor 12"x16".

yellow-billed magpie watercolor

2011-10-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

This painting of a yellow-billed magpie was created almost entirely from memory. The only other bird I can paint without any visual aid is the sandhill crane. "Perching simplicity", 10"x14" watercolor (Original SOLD).

Lodi's Sandhill Cranes

2011-10-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, I had the great opportunity to see sandhill cranes up close at the Isenberg Reserve on Woodbridge Rd. in Lodi. Most were the lesser sandhill cranes but there were a few greater sandhill cranes which are State listed as threatened. This painting is one of several paintings I have been working on in preparation for the annual Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival which is on its 16th year. "Woodbridge preening", watercolor 12"x16".

Black Oystercatchers

2011-09-17T22:44:00.000-07:00

In French, these birds are called Huîtrier de Bachman. It sounds more interesting than black oystercatcher. This is a simple painting of a couple from Montana de Oro State Park at Morro Bay. "Huîtrier de Bachman", watercolor 12''x16''.

American badger

2011-08-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

Turkey vultures

2011-07-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology begins the description of the turkey vulture with the words "ugly, bare-skinned face". It does have a bare-skinned face but certainly not an ugly one. I guess even respectable organizations are still ran by subjective humans. "Double trouble", gouache 8"x11" (Original SOLD).

Delta smelt, the indicator species

2011-07-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Delta smelt is a species of fish in the Osmeridae family. The media often calls it a minnow, Cyprinidae family, which is completely wrong. Minnows are fishes like goldfish and shiners and are really hardy. Delta smelt, on the other hand, are sensitive to environmental changes which makes it a great indicator of water quality and pollution. By calling it a "3-inch minnow", the talking heads are trivializing the importance of this fish and are forgetting the bigger picture. What they are glossing over is the fact that the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is in poor health; the alarming decline of Delta smelt should be a wake-up call. Unfortunately, the loudest mouths in the media often drown out reasonable arguments. The painting above left is titled "Smeltdown in the Delta" (SOLD), a phrase I borrowed from the Center for Biological Diversity. The one on the right is titled "Cousins".

hawk stamp artist

2011-07-17T23:15:00.000-07:00

I had just completed showing my work at the annual Pacific Flyway Association's Classic Wildlife Art Festival this weekend. I was surrounded by really big name duck stamp artists, the likes of Robert Steiner, Sherrie Russell Meline, and Steele Roberts-Ross. I don't strive to reach their caliber since their work is purely amazing and takes a lot of patience and great attention to detail. I've tried doing the "duck stamp" quality painting but it always just comes out muddy and I never finish them. At least I know what I will never be: a duck stamp artist. Here is one of a non-waterfowl, a favorite of mine. This one's titled "Rufous", gouache 11"x14".

Bluegrass sandhill crane killers

2011-06-09T22:56:00.000-07:00

Kentucky will start hunting Sandhill Cranes. I am so disheartened by this news. I wonder when will people start appreciating the beauty of wildlife without having to kill it? I hope people will take time to write this state's legislators. Attached is a link to a site that lists Kentucky's lawmakers. I am not against hunting but these are sandhill cranes!

http://kyc4sandhillcranes.wordpress.com/call-to-action/

hornbill

2011-04-22T22:03:00.000-07:00

A painting of a southern ground hornbill, a bird I saw in South Africa. Gouache, 9"x12".

Great horned owl

2011-04-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

A quick watercolor sketch of an owl. "Portrait of a great horned owl", gouache 6"x10" (SOLD).

Bubo bubo

2011-03-03T22:38:00.000-08:00

This is a painting of a Eurasian eagle owl. Obviously not from California. This was actually an "education owl" from Native Bird Connections. I donated this painting to the wonderful folks at Native Bird Connections since they do so much to educate people on avian biology.

Red-tailed hawk

2011-02-27T22:38:00.000-08:00

Red-tailed hawks are year-round in the Valley. This is one of my favorite raptors to paint because of the numerous variation in color and morphs. This one is of a juvenile that is almost an adult, titled "Valley eyes", watercolor 12"x16".

Roadrunners and Turacos

2011-02-13T21:20:00.000-08:00

On our way to San Luis Reservoir for a zebra mussel veliger sampling, my colleague and I were driving on Hwy 152 when a large blue colored bird flew over our vehicle. As soon as we looked back, we immediately knew it was a roadrunner. I've seen them on the ground usually so I was amazed to see one flying, especially over a busy highway. Seeing this bluish bird in flight reminded me a lot of the great blue turaco I used to encounter often in Gabon's forest. To some people, smell is something that brings back memories. To me, it is the sense of vision that brings back more vivid memories. This painting is called "Pacheco runner", watercolor 16"x12".

Snowy Plovers

2011-01-31T23:09:00.000-08:00

Three snowy plovers in Morro Bay. Interestingly, the female leaves her mate and brood about the same time chicks hatch and then initiates a mating with another male. The Cornell Ornithology guide is just a wealth of knowledge. "Morro's plovers", watercolor 8"x8".

Green heron

2011-01-30T18:14:00.000-08:00

Green heron, according to Cornell Lab, is one of the few tool-using birds. They've been observed dropping bait (insect, earthworm, twigs, etc.) on the surface of the water then grabbing small fish that are attracted. That is pretty cool. This is a painting of an adult eyeing a fish, perhaps after dropping its lure. "A balancing act", watercolor 16"x12" (Original SOLD at Lodi's Sandhill Crane Festival).

2011-01-22T20:41:00.000-08:00

A painting of a black phoebe, a fairly common flycatcher in the Central Valley. Painting this bird was a little tricky since it is mostly a play on greyscale. "Black sillhouette", gouache 10"x14".

more backyard birds

2011-01-20T22:43:00.000-08:00

My first bird painting of 2011, one bird from a big flock of American goldfinch that hangs out in our backyard. "Golden winter", gouache 14"x10".

Proposal to hunt sandhill cranes

2010-12-19T22:35:00.000-08:00

One of the first large birds I ever painted was a sandhill crane. They are majestic, easy to draw (just great models!), and their calls remind people of our connection to nature. When I read that Tennessee is considering hunting these birds as part of their wildlife management, I was really disturbed. I wrote the state's wildlife resource commission and I hope others will too:

e-mail: twra.comment@tn.gov
or
Michael Chase, Tennessee Wildlife Resources C0mmission Chairperson/PO Box 50370/Knoxville, TN 37950 email: mike.chase@tn.gov

http://www.tn.gov/twra/sandhillproposal.html
http://10000birds.com/sandhill-cranes-game-birds.htm

Alcids

2010-12-19T18:12:00.001-08:00

Xantus's murrelets, gouache 12"x7". These were seabirds I saw in Alaska this past summer.

Spotted owl

2010-12-18T21:29:00.000-08:00

I've always thought these owls were only found in old growth forest of northern California and the Pacific Northwest. However, there are actually 3 subspecies of spotted owl, the smallest one found in Mexico. The spotted owl was recorded by a Hungarian immigrant named John Xántus Janos, the same guy the Xantus's murrelet and Xantus's hummingbird were named after. This painting was actually inspired by the rehabilitated owls I am lucky enough to observe through several rehab organizations and individuals. This painting is titled "Forest eyes, spotted owl Strix occidentalis", gouache 8"x11".

2010-12-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

While looking for fish eggs one day in the southern part of the San Joaquin delta, a dark colored Swainson's hawk was calling repeatedly to another Swainson's hawk. I was surprised to see two dark-morphs in the same tree. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised since the Central Valley is hawk heaven year round. This is a painting of one them. "The Dark Morph".

Cedar waxwing

2010-11-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

On a cool fall morning, cedar waxwings can be heard whistling and weighing down our front yard trees. They also leave quite a mess on our vehicles. This painting is titled "Noble waxwing", gouache 9"x12". SOLD (Morro Bay).

cold November

2010-11-13T22:41:00.000-08:00

In the late evenings when we let the dogs out one last time, I can hear sandhill cranes calling from afar. When I am really lucky, on a full moon especially, we can see their silhouettes overhead. Their calls make chilly Novembers bearable. This watercolor painting is of three sandhill cranes calling at the Isenberg Preserve. "Trio", 9"x12", Original SOLD (Klamath Falls Winter Bird Festival).

2010-10-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

"Elegance", watercolor and ink 10"x14", Original SOLD.
www.cranefestival.com

Leaf-nosed bat

2010-10-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

"California leaf-nosed bat", pen and ink 6"x8".

2010-09-29T22:01:00.000-07:00

"Bored", watercolor 9"x9".

2010-09-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

"Strutting", watercolor 10"x8".

2010-09-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

"Early mourning", watercolor 10"x7".

Belted Kingfishers

2010-09-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

I am lucky enough to work at a place where birds are abundant enough to enjoy. Belted kingfishers are fairly common in the south Delta where I work. I often see them during dawn with something moving in their beaks. I can't really figure out what fish species they often get since they're really quick to swallow. I am just assuming it is some type of a minnow or shad. Actually, I don't even know what kind of fish I just painted here. Looks very generic. As long as the bird looks good, I am satisfied. This painting is called "Nice catch", watercolor 8"x10".

Pileated woodpecker

2010-09-22T22:21:00.000-07:00

A painting of a pileated woodpecker eyeing a black oak tree titled "Red on black oak", watercolor 9"x10".

Acorn woodpecker

2010-09-15T22:43:00.000-07:00

"The park clown", watercolor 9"x12" (Original SOLD)

2010-09-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

"Kasey's curlews", pen and ink with watercolor 14"x11".

"Tidings of magpies III", gouache 16"x10, (Original SOLD).

Tidings of magpies

2010-08-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

I have been painting endemic birds these past few days but I seem to have an affinity for yellow-billed magpies. I will be posting other natives these next few days. These 2 paintings were fun to create. "Purple haze", 8"x10" gouache (left), "Fence brothers", 10.5"x7.5" gouache (right), Original SOLD (Pacific Classic Wildlife Art Show).

2010-08-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

"Lichen perch", gouache 8"x11" (Original SOLD). Prints will be available soon.

Snowy plover

2010-08-12T22:55:00.000-07:00

Great blue herons

2010-08-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

The ubiquitous great blue heron: one of the most enjoyable bird to paint using simple brush strokes (Original SOLD).

Neotoma spp.

2010-07-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

This is a first attempt at a painting of an elusive rodent found in the riparian habitats in San Joaquin County. I had a difficult time finding these guys in the wild. Luckily, I knew someone who has worked with this species. Thanks, Tristan, for letting me use your photo. Gouache on 8"x11" watercolor paper.

line drawings

2010-07-08T23:28:00.000-07:00

I have been meditating with my fine point drawing pen. This drawing is of a long-billed curlew. This image was used for an Audubon Society brochure.

On the way to the Heron Festival at Clear Lake this past spring, I came across a herd of about 100 tule elk. That was exhilarating. This is a quick sketch of two of them.

Siamese cats

2010-04-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

"Siamese portrait", gouache 8"x11" (Original SOLD).

"Regal Siamese", gouache 8"x11".

Leafy sea dragon

2010-04-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

My wife's favorite syngnathid. This painting is more of a practice in illustration and a play with yellow and green. This piece is titled "Aussie dragon", watercolor 9"x12". (Original SOLD at Merced Arts Festival).

2010-04-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

"Folsom nap", gouache 9"x12"

Seahorses

2010-04-03T23:32:00.000-07:00

For my daughter's 9th birthday, we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and saw this fascinating collection of seahorses. It was truly inspiring. Inspiring enough that I painted one. This one is titled "Equine colors", watercolor 7"x10". Original SOLD at the 2011 CVBS.

California towhee

2010-04-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

I have been identifying all the bird species that frequent my work place at Byron, CA for the past 10 years and I came across a species which I have not seen there before. The California towhee, despite its wide California range, apparently are sedentary in nature (according to a naturalist friend) and rarely venture outside an individual's foraging range. So it was a pleasant surprise seeing this species venture by my work place. This painting is called "A towhee visit", gouache 8"x11" (SOLD at the Heron Festival).

2010-03-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

This is the sixth and final design for a notecard set of native Central Valley birds. This painting is titled "Loggerhead lookout", watercolor 7"x9". (Original SOLD)

"Mockingbird of Oak Grove Park", watercolor 7"x9". (Original SOLD)

White-crowned sparrow

2010-03-07T20:18:00.001-08:00

White-crowned sparrows are common in winter here in the Valley. I see them often foraging along with juncos and the non-native house sparrows. They are just beautiful to watch. This painting is of a white-crowned sparrow perching on a berry bush that runs along a levee of Old River in Byron, CA. This painting is titled "A thorny perch", gouache 8.5"x11". Original SOLD at CVBS 2010.

2010-02-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

"Mama Antoinette" gouache 8''x10''

paintings from journals

2010-02-09T22:10:00.000-08:00

After 10 years, it is only now that I have found the time to start painting the sketches that I had done in my travel journals. This is a rough painting of an African woman. More on the way. (SOLD at the Heron Festival)

Madonna and Child

2010-02-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

A Fulani family fed me and took care of me for those months I lived in Cameroon. I lived in a compound with 4 other houses, one house for each of my father's 4 wives. It took time getting used to living without privacy, especially with 17 boys and about 4 girls running around the compound. I had to get used to eating from a communal bowl with all my brothers using only fingers. In the Philippines, eating food with hands is normal. However, it was hard to eat slimy gumbo with my hands and watch 17 pairs of hand go for the same bowl of gumbo. I was always given first dibs on the bowl of gumbo along with my father, and then after a few minutes, it was a free for all. My moms always cooked the food but I was never allowed to eat with them during dinner. The separation of the sexes was hard to get used to. This is a painting of one of my invisible "moms" who fed me well in Cameroon. This painting was from the last day of my stay with my adopted family. Acrylic on canvas, 20"x24" (NFS).

playing chess with Maya

2010-02-07T21:48:00.001-08:00

When my daughter's friends came over for a few hours, rather than watch TV or play video games, they played chess. It was a beautiful sight. Perhaps it is a sign that we are raising our daughters correctly. Who knows? This painting is of Maya playing a match with me on a late afternoon. She was only four when I painted this. This painting is titled "Daddy's opponent", acrylic on 18"x24" stretched canvas (NFS).

Calling wren

2010-01-21T18:10:00.000-08:00

I went to Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego and found this beautiful wren calling. It blended nicely with the brown leafless shrubs. This painting is called "Shades of brown". Watercolor, 8"x10" (original SOLD).

Opossum

2010-01-18T20:10:00.000-08:00

"Nocturnal stare", gouache on watercolor paper, 8"x10" (Original SOLD).

Acorn woodpecker

2010-01-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

A painting of an acorn woodpecker from the Oak Grove Regional Park, a remnant of Stockton's oak meadow past. (original SOLD, no prints available).

western bluebird

2009-12-28T18:26:00.000-08:00

This western bluebird was perching on a sycamore tree in front of our house one cloudy morning. It added color to a gray morning. This painting is called "Blue morning", watercolor 8"x10" (original SOLD, prints available).

White-tailed kites

2009-12-02T17:59:00.000-08:00

"Day patrol", gouache 8"x11" (Original $200, no prints available). I work at a place remote enough that several species of raptors are often seen hunting. One of the more entertaining raptors to watch are white-tailed kites. This is a painting of a pair that patrol their hunting range that includes my workplace.

Salmon paintings

2009-11-27T17:42:00.001-08:00

"Kings of the West", watercolor 8"x10" (original and print available)

"The dog pound", watercolor 8"x10" (original and print available)

Canine paintings

2009-11-22T21:45:00.000-08:00

"The clever one", gouache 15"x20" (left).
"Arctic soul", gouache 15"x20" (right).

Owls and raptors

2009-11-16T19:40:00.001-08:00

"A Swainson summer", gouache 7"x10" (left), SOLD
"Byron's hunter", 7"x10" gouache (right)

"The night watchman", 6.5"x10.5" gouache (left)
"Autumn hunter", 7"x11"gouache (right)

"Great horned owl", 7"x10" gouache (left)
"The glance", 7"x9" watercolor (right)

"Red-tailed hawk intermediate", 9"x12" gouache (SOLD)

Sandhill Cranes

2009-11-16T19:27:00.000-08:00

"Isenberg twins", watercolor 7"x10" (left)
"The call of the cranes", gouache 7"x10" (SOLD, limited edition print soldout).

Horses

2009-11-10T21:10:00.000-08:00

Horses are fun to sketch and to paint. The muscles and their almost human-like faces makes it really challenging. This painting is of a friend's Welsh pony. "Solar", gouache 10"x15" (original SOLD, no prints available).

Turkey vultures

2009-11-09T23:23:00.000-08:00

Another one of my favorite local birds. Not quite local since they have quite a range in the US. They are beautiful to watch in flight. This one is called "Beauty queens", gouache on watercolor paper, 7.5"x9.5" (SOLD, $50 print).

2009-10-29T21:29:00.000-07:00

"Dynamic duo", watercolor 7"x19" (SOLD)

2009-10-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

"Blaze and Flower", watercolor 8"x10" (SOLD)

2009-09-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

"Saying hello", watercolor 8"x10" (NFS)
This is a painting of my older daughter with Billy Bob.

2009-09-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

"Grass dancer", watercolor 7"x10".
Painting from a local pow-wow held last month.

Le musulman

2009-09-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

Watercolor and gouache, 8"x11" (NFS)

Delta mallards

2009-09-07T22:42:00.000-07:00

watercolor, 9"x16" (SOLD)

2009-08-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

"Waiting her turn", watercolor 8"x12" (NFS)

insomniac paintings

2009-08-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

There are several paintings that spring from drinking coffee late in the day. Usually, it is a facial expression that has been burned in my memory from the day. This is one of those paintings. This one's called "A good conversation", gouache and watercolor, 7.5"x10".

The reader

2009-08-25T16:25:00.000-07:00

Painting of a homeless man, always with a book, I used to see at the corner of a street a couple of blocks from my house. Have not seen him in a while. Gouache, 9"x12".

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta landscapes

2009-08-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

"Levee road", watercolor 11"x20"

"East Bay", watercolor 7"x17" (SOLD)

"Diablo sunset", watercolor 7"x17" (SOLD)

"Delta farm", watercolor 7"x17" (SOLD)

Kankanaey woman

2009-08-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

The older women of the Sagada region in Northern Philippines often wear beautiful beads and jewelries during ceremonies. There are a few that wear the snake skeleton around the head also. This is a painting of a woman in Kilong, my ancestral village. Watercolor, 8"x10" (Original SOLD).

Fulani woman

2009-08-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

A quick sketch/painting of my Fulani mom from Cameroon.

folklorico

2009-07-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

"Victory dancer", 8"x10" watercolor. The dancer was actually surrounded by several other dancers but I was too lazy to include the others. The dances were held during Earth Day festival at Victory Park, Stockton.

Fish paintings

2009-05-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

Threadfin shad (6"x4") and American shad (7"x4")

These are a couple of fish paintings for a book a friend is writing.

Bob and Sabby

2009-03-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

The athlete

2009-01-31T21:13:00.000-08:00

My first daughter was born with some complications. She was in intensive care the first week of her life. She came out very pale and very quiet. I spent my time in the ICU watching her chest go up and down and watching all these monitors around her. It was not a good start to fatherhood. That was eight years ago. She is now up to my shoulder, a smart girl, and very athletic. She was an extremely good gymnast and had a promising future in the sport but she decided that she wants no part in competitions. I was disappointed at first but I can not impose a sport on a child. She's a great swimmer now but I am sure she will give that up too. Somehow, however, it does not matter. It sure beats being at the ICU. NFS.

Yellow-billed magpies

2009-01-22T22:40:00.000-08:00

My all time favorite bird.
"Yellow-billed magpie before flight" (SOLD)
"Yellow-billed magpie in flight" (SOLD)

Fascination with owls

2009-01-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

"Burrowing owl" (SOLD), left and right....

"Great grey owl", "Spotted owl"

Bris

2008-12-25T18:42:00.000-08:00

Most of the farmers I worked with in Gabon were old men. It seemed that because of their age, they were reliable and had great work ethics. I worked with only one young man who was like them. Bris was younger than me and was very quiet but he always got things done. This is a portrait of that quiet man. Painted from my journal sketch, gouache on watercolor paper, 6"x8".

The flowergirl

2008-12-13T18:27:00.000-08:00

This is a painting of my daughter with my two sisters before my brother's wedding in San Antonio, TX. It was a beautiful wedding. 12"x12" gouache on aquarelle paper.

Some fish paintings

2008-12-03T21:30:00.000-08:00

"Running sockeyes", 11"x11" gouache on watercolor paper (left, $300 original, no prints), "Tarpons!", 11"x11" gouache on watercolor paper (right, $300 original, $50 print)...

"China rockfish", 11"x14", "Roosterfish", 11"x14"....

"California scorpionfish", 11"x14", "Vermilion rockfish", 11"x14"....

"Starry flounder", gouache on watercolor paper 11"x14"

"Canary rockfish", gouache 11"x14" (original SOLD, no prints)

"Night swimming", gouache 12"x15"

Paintings from a POW-WOW

2008-12-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

"Elder dancer", gouache 7"x10", "Red shawl dancer", gouache 8"x10"

Boy from Cameroon

2008-11-29T20:11:00.000-08:00

Gouache on watercolor paper, 7"x10".

Untitled monk portrait

2008-11-29T20:09:00.000-08:00

Gouache on watercolor paper, 7"x10"

Okba weaving a basket

2008-11-27T12:23:00.000-08:00

On my last month in Gabon, the farmers I worked with gave me farewell gifts. Most were special things they owned like a mou-mou (traditional gown), a horned-bill skull, and even an elephant's tooth. Even though I had told them I wanted nothing but memories, they insisted that I take something tangible from Africa. Paul Okba, a farmer who drank malamba (palm wine) for breakfast, had started working on a basket about 6 months before I left. He was a farmer that worked hard when it was necessary but usually never listened to my advise. For example, on a site visit, we had found a perfect "walking distance" location to build a fish pond with a perfect source of water, a natural spring. I told him not to denude the vegetation around the spring to keep it from drying up. Of course, on my next visit, the spring was barely trickling. It had been stripped of vegetation because he wanted to build the fish pond on the spring source. Anyway, he was still a nice guy. He did finish the basket, however, a week before my departure. This painting is of Okba completing the base of my basket, gouache on watercolor paper, 8"x12".

Mariachi in a Thai wedding

2008-11-26T23:42:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine, who took care of me (and saved my life!) when I had malaria in Gabon, had a wedding in Dallas a couple of years ago. It was a colorful Thai and Vietnamese ceremony with her sisters wearing long silk-like gowns. The men were wearing tuxedos, however. A mariachi band played lively music for their wedding. It was purely American. This painting is of an old mariachi guitar player from the wedding. I tried capturing the man's intensity and concentration. Gouache on watercolor paper, 9"x12".

2008-11-13T23:06:00.000-08:00

Sharp-shinned hawk (SOLD), Lewis's woodpecker...

White-breasted nuthatch (SOLD), Lewis's woodpecker again...

Swainson's hawk (SOLD), Red-tailed hawk (SOLD)...

Rose-breasted grosbeak (SOLD), another Rose-breasted (SOLD)...

Turkey vulture (SOLD), Red-headed woodpecker (SOLD)...

Common loon (SOLD), another common loon (SOLD)....

Atlantic puffin (SOLD)....

new paintings shown at the Sandhill Crane Festival

2008-11-11T21:45:00.000-08:00

These paintings were shown at this past weekend's Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival. Western tanager (SOLD), Northern saw-whet owl (donated), Short-eared owl...

American kestrel (SOLD), White ibis of Sanibel (SOLD)....

Sandhill crane preening, Snow goose, another Sandhill crane preening....

Cooper's hawk (SOLD), and the non-native Chestnut-fronted macaw.

2008-10-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

"The Filipino nun" NFS

Obame

2008-10-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

This is a portrait of Obame, one of the hardest working fish farmers I worked with in Gabon. He barely spoke French and my Fang sucked so I had a little difficulty communicating with him. But it did not matter. NFS.

2008-10-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

"Woman from Sagada"
gouache 6"x7" NFS.

2008-10-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

"Papa Yebe" (SOLD)

More paintings of Cameroon

2008-10-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

"Man from N'goundere", "My sister Awa"
The family I lived with in Cameroon was fairly wealthy. My father was a big man with 3 wives. I had 17 brothers and one sister, Awa. There were 4 houses in the enclosed compound where the wives and their children stayed. It was quite the communal living.

A good man from Cameroon

2008-10-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

I spent a couple of months learning French in Cameroon. I lived with a Fulani tribe in N'goundere, a Muslim town. This painting is of a friend from my short stay there. Gouache on cold-pressed 8"x8" watercolor paper.

More paintings of Gabon

2008-09-24T21:16:00.001-07:00

"A dance for Chef Bruno"
gouache 8''x12''
This was from a sketch I made after a very late night celebration for the village chief. As always, this went on until sunrise.

"Mama from Mintoum", gouache 5''x8'' (SOLD).
This is Gaston Akamayong's (one of my really old farmer) wife, a really head-strong woman who, at 60, still carries a load of wood for cooking. This was based on a quick sketch I made of her one morning.

"Baka children", gouache 5''x7''
Painting from a long pirogue ride up the Ivindo River near Makokou. Bakas were the pygmy tribe that I stayed with for a few days.

A few Gabon paintings before Survivor destroys the country

2008-09-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

"Gabonese nun", gouache 5"x6" (SOLD)
Gabon is a beautiful country with beautiful people. There are mud houses and people do go to the forest ("en brousse") for meat but they do wear western clothes and they do live in houses just like us. The TV show "Survivor" is an embarrassment to Gabon's culture. They show nothing of the country's beauty and the diverse people. They show stereotype of what we think Africa is. They kept showing film strips of gorillas and other mammals when the fact is, you have to go really far inside the forest to see them. It took me several months before I encountered a gorilla in the forest. And I needed a pygmy guide to see my first forest elephant. Ah well, what do you expect from Hollywood? Anyway, this painting is based on a sketch I made of a Catholic nun from Libreville. I just sold this painting to a kind woman from Orange County and when I was talking about the painting, my eyes started watering. I have a harder time letting go of paintings of people. But, I am glad they often go to good homes.

"Old Bwiti drummer" 5"x7" gouache
Children in Gabon, especially boys, start tapping on anything rhythmically with sticks. I once saw a 6 year old boy, about the age of my oldest daughter, making rhythmic tapping on a tin wall using a couple of short twigs. Drumming is just in their DNA. This painting is of an old man, about 65 years old, during a Bwiti evening. This was from a sketch I made after another all night eboga-induced ceremony.