Where Dragons Fly

Wes and I packed a lunch and headed to the water nearby to enjoy a day of sunshine and blue sky this past week. The water levels were up slightly, so we thought we’d take a shortcut while heading to a favorite lunch spot. However, sometimes good ideas aren’t as good as thought, and soon we found ourselves paddling across a sandbar, where the quickly dropping water levels were making it nearly impossible to cross. So above is a funny video of how we eventually made it across, with me, of course, laughing the entire time! Once we finally reached deeper water it was lunchtime, and afterward, I enjoyed taking a walk along an exposed sandy shoreline, where I came upon two beautiful butterflies who obviously had found something tasty in the sand.

I watched them for a while, as I listened to the waves lapping the shore and peepers chirping in the distance. Then I decided to draw in the sand for a bit while basking in the warmth of the abundant sunshine, before climbing back into the kayak.

 

Paddling along, I noticed a dragonfly floating atop the water, which appeared to have a swollen abdomen. At first, I thought perhaps it was waterlogged or injured, so I carefully lifted it up onto my paddle, gently picked it up and sat it on a piece of small rope on the front of my kayak where it could rest while it dried out. Moments later when passing one of the numerous stumps sticking up out of the water, I noticed what looked like several dragonflies by what appeared to be their casings.

The metamorphosis process of a dragonfly is quite interesting, and we happened to be at the right place at the right time, to see this amazing process firsthand! A dragonfly larva begins the nymph stage once the egg hatches and that part of its’ life may last only a month in warmer regions or possibly several years in colder climates. The growing nymphs breathe through gills, and they do eat during this stage of their lifecycle.

In springtime, when the weather becomes warmer, the fully grown nymph completes its’ metamorphosis process by shedding its skin, or exuvia, and then relaxes in the warmth of the sun whilst expanding its’ wings and letting them dry out.

Soon it’s ready to take flight and in a few days will sport brilliant adult dragonfly colors, while commencing the important tasks of finding food as well as a mate. I was thrilled, to say the least, to be offered a glimpse into this minutely small window of a dragonfly’s amazing life cycle!

~  See our miniatures in these shows (currently online only) this week  ~

Our other shows this week have closed with some upcoming exhibitions pending.  Check the website for updates.

The Art of the Miniature XVIII
May 3 – June 14, 2020: Snow Goose Gallery, Bethlehem, PA

29th Annual International Miniature Art Show
May 2 – 30, 2020: Seaside Art Gallery, Nags Head, NC

Want to enjoy your special friend as a miniature painting?

                                             

Then commission us to do just that! Email photos for consideration to us at

siegrist@artofwildlife.com

~  ( )  ~

Visit our Website ~ artofwildlife.com

Follow us on Facebook!

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Until Next Time . . . 

~ Rachelle

Escaping to the Serenity

Wes with his best find of the day! It took him an hour to clean all the mud out of it but the rod and reel work like new now!

Like most of you, Wes and I have been spending much of our time at home this past week trying to stay safe and healthy. We’re still taking daily walks when the weather permits and managed to get caught once again in a rain shower accompanied by what seemed like 50 mph winds! Thankfully it wasn’t cold, so I just pretended I was swimming while walking along, and somehow that made it better! We did enjoy two rain-free days, so we took advantage of them, by packing a lunch and heading over to the lake with the kayaks. It’s always good to be back on the water and brings a temporary reprieve from everything going on in the world. We found a perfect spot for our boat picnic, near a duck nesting box, which the swallows were using. Here’s a short video so you too can enjoy watching and listening to these little beauties!

We were surrounded by swallows zipping here and there in every direction, all chattering up a storm the entire time. What a delight it was watching and listening to these beautiful little iridescent feathered birds, as we were gently rocked back and forth by the waves. By the time we left, I think they were still trying to work out whose box that was while trying to maintain some type of order. It was too windy much of the time for me to use my flyrod, so while Wes fished, I paddled around and explored while checking out the amazing collection of stumps exposed by the low water level.

There were stumps in every shape and size imaginable scattered across the vast sandbars, many looking like gigantic abstract wood sculptures walking across the sand whilst heading to new territory, and I love photographing them, from different angles.

This series of stumps below made me immediately think of Nessie, and I imagined this being our own smaller version of her surfacing and having a look about!

There were numerous birds around both days, including Bald Eagles. The first day, we were able to watch one eating something on the shore nearby, as well as another sitting atop a tree preening for a long time. They didn’t seem to mind us watching at all, so we took advantage of the amazing opportunity. We also saw Pileated Woodpeckers, assorted ducks, Canada Geese, and I watched an Osprey drop out of the sky crashing into the water below, bringing up a large fish in his talons! So large in fact that he could hardly fly off with his prized catch! At one point I saw a beaver surface several times and once he was quite close, slapping his tail on the surface before quickly slipping below, creating a big loud splash! Later the second day out, I pulled my kayak up onto a sandy beach and enjoyed taking a walk along the vast winding shore. At one point I stopped and stood there, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face while listening to the sounds of the wind blowing in my ears, the water lapping on the shore and the peepers chirping in surround sound. It was truly delightful and I could’ve stayed there until sunset! At another sandbar I watched a lone Killdeer walking about picking at things on the sand. By the end of both days, the Osprey wasn’t the only one to make a great catch, as Wes kept 8 bass from the 2 days, catching and releasing even more!

Monthly lectures are given at Brookgreen Gardens by Robin Salmon, called Brookgreen 101, and one of her recent lectures was on Exquisite Miniatures which is currently at Brookgreen. Although the exhibition is now temporarily closed, you can enjoy this insightful talk, where Robin shares her take on the exhibition as well as some fun and personal information about us as well. Click on the video below to enjoy.

Due to the COVID 19 all shows which we currently have miniature paintings have been closed to the public. However most of them have the available works online, so I’ve included the links to them below.

Wonders of the West
March 21 – May 31, 2020: Customs House Museum, Clarksville, TN

(Please note the opening for this show has been canceled, and they don’t have the exhibition online.)

The Art of the Miniature XVIII
May 3 – June 14, 2020: Snow Goose Gallery, Bethlehem, PA

Wes and I currently have 16 miniature paintings in this show, and are delighted that 2 have already sold!

29th Annual International Miniature Art Show
May 2 – 30, 2020: Seaside Art Gallery, Nags Head, NC

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Do you want to enjoy your special friend as a miniature painting?

                                             

Then commission us to do just that! . . . Email photos for consideration to us at

siegrist@artofwildlife.com

~  ( )  ~

Visit our Website ~ artofwildlife.com

Follow us on Facebook!

Read Our Monthly Email Newsletters

Until Next Time . . . 

~ Rachelle

 

Poetry And Paintings

I love writing poetry and wrote my first poems as a little girl. As a matter of fact, I’m planning to publish a poetry book sometime this year, featuring a collection of poems I’ve written over the past few years, with a miniature painting to go along with each one. Knowing how much I enjoy writing poems, my dad recently suggested that I try writing a story in poetry style. So I did just that after our last kayaking trip a couple of months ago, and thought you’d enjoy reading it as much as he did . . . So enjoy!

The Lone Fisherman

Well, the sun finally made an appearance today,

So Wes and I decided to go out and play.

We loaded up the kayaks into our van,
Packed a lunch and made a plan.
Before we knew it we were at the lake,
Hoping the fish would give Wes a break.
When all of a sudden we saw a loon,
But under he went, disappearing too soon.
The water was smooth and there wasn’t any wind,
So merrily we went, paddling up to the end.
There I saw an old, lone fisherman,
Standing there a grinin’ with a pole in his hand.
When questioned he said, “I ain’t caught a thing!”
And then this song he started to sing,
“Here little fishy swimming in the brook,
Won’t you bite on my bright shiny hook?”
Well, this looked like a great place for a snack,
So I started looking through my little food pack.
I sat there eating chocolate, with the sun on my knees,
While listening to the wind a blowin’ through the trees.
Paddling back, I saw sticks floating here and there,
The ends gnawed off and the bark stripped clear.
“It must be a beaver!” I said to myself,
It’s either a beaver or a Bucktooth elf!
All too soon our day came to an end,
But before we know it more adventures will begin!

 

~  In The Studio  ~

Once again, we’ve been very busy at the easels this pas week. Unfortunately what we’re currently working on is a surprise commission and paintings for upcoming juried shows, so I’ll have to wait and share them with you later on. Wes spent time packing up numerous miniature paintings this week, which will be shipped out to upcoming shows very soon at Seaside Art and SnowGoose Galleries. We’re delighted to have four paintings included in the Wonders of the West show, at the Customs House Museum located in Clarksville, TN.  The exhibition opens March 21st and runs thru May 31st. Exquisite Miniatures was at this beautiful museum a couple of years ago, so we’re delighted to have work being displayed there once more! Shown above is one of our four paintings “Mountain Man Herb Herrick” available for purchase through this exciting exhibition!

~  See Our Miniatures In-Person This Week At ~

Brookgreen Gardens ~ Murrells Inlet, SC

Society of Animal Artists’ 59th Annual Art & The Animal National Tour
 The Evelyn Burrow Museum, Hanceville, AL

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Would you love to enjoy your special friend as a miniature painting?                                 Then commission us to do just that! Email photos for consideration to us at siegrist@artofwildlife.com

~  ( )  ~

Visit our Website ~ artofwildlife.com

Follow us on Facebook!

Read Our Monthly Email Newsletters

Until Next Time . . . 

~ Rachelle