A Handsome Fellow!

Isn't he cute?

I took a series of pictures of this little guy sitting on a branch we inserted in a DirectTV post that used to hold a dish antenna. The males like to fly up to an observation post so they can see what's going on and to alert the rest of the covey if danger is present.

If you happen to be a female Gambels quail, I'm sure you'd be in love right now!

Britney Spears

OK, I DON'T have any paintings of, or buzz about, Britney Spears, and I'm not a portrait painter, anyway.

If I did paint people, however, I think it'd be fun to paint her. I'm honestly not a big fan of her music -- maybe I'm too old or somethin' -- but I do consider her a really attractive female. I could see doing a Rembrandt-esque portrait with a dark brown background, her in dark clothing, and a pensive look on her face.

I would, of course, want to work from life as I worked on the painting, but I doubt that would ever happen -- I have absolutely no connections or clout with N-E-1 in the entertainment industry. And actually, I'm not into the celebrity worship that so many others are into. It would be fun to paint Britney, but that's about as far as it goes. Red carpet, sightings, Golden Globes, Grammies, Oscars et al -- BOR-ING!!!

So in the meantime, I guess I'll continue to paint landscapes, missions and the occasional fairy. Be sure and look for these on my Website: http://www.southwestspaces.com/.

(The picture of Britney comes from http://www.starpulse.com/).

Thoughts of Spring...

...and it's only the second day of 2009.

But spring must be in the air. The desert bighorn ram on the left was acting rather amorously toward the ewe on the right.

"Where have ewe been all my life?"

Desert Water and Desert Critters

One doesn't think of the desert as being a place where water collects. Yet, in Joshua Tree National Park, there are places where we can find water!

One such place is Barker Dam, constructed by 19th century white settlers/cattlemen who wanted to make sure they'd have a year-round water supply.

Of course, other critters besides cattle like having water around. In the painting I've shown (a commission I did a few years ago), the first view shows the entire painting. The second view is a detail, showing a scrub jay, undoubtedly looking for some tasty bugs who enjoy the aqueous environment.

Besides bugs and birds, this little lake attracts coyotes, bighorn sheep and other residents of an otherwise arid region.

Where there is desert water, there are desert critters.

Marauder

I was able to get a quick photo of this hawk sitting on one of the water pans we have outside for the wild birds and bunnies. (I had to shoot through venetian blinds--if I would have gone to an unobstructed window, the hawk would have flown off long before I could have gotten the shot). As near as I can tell, this is a Swainson's hawk, not yet fully mature.

I mentioned once before that when you feed (and/or water) the prey, you feed the predators as well. These hawks know the routine -- the critters gather around before sunset, when I put out rabbit pellets for the bunnies and scratch for the quail and doves. I'm sure there's nothing a hawk likes better than to see a concentration of goodies in the open, all in one small area. (Of course, the #1 thing a hawk likes is to catch and eat one of these goodies!)

Most of the time, the quail and doves see the hawks coming and take cover under cholla cactus long before the predators can snag the prey. But on occasion, a hawk gets lucky -- and we witness what my wife calls "a wildlife moment," when the cycle of life turns a little more in it's never-ending revolution.

This day, all the hawk got was a drink of water -- and the other critters lived another day.

Cactus and Other Critters

Bunnies aren't the only desert critters I put into paintings.

This is a cactus wren that I included in a large (48" x 60"/1.2m x 1.5m) painting. Cactus wrens are not the most colorful birds around, but they have a call that's unlike any other sound you've heard. When you hear it, you know you're in the desert.