Watercolor painting of a fat and happy robin that symbolizes the return of spring.

Cardinal waiting out a snowstorm, a symbol of patience and perseverance

A flock of swallows takes a rest on their way south.

Looks like he's in charge.

Singing a song of joy, this robin is painted in transparent watercolor.

Three views of robins, harbingers of springtime, combined into a single composition. It's always a delight to see them after a long winter, which usually has started to wear on me by the time they appear!

Wrens make a distinctive long chittering sound in the spring which they utter repeatedly. That's where the title came from.

A sandpiper looking for its dinner in shallow waters at Cape Cod

A couple of bluebirds take a moment's rest

More often heard than seen, this bird's song is loud and always a welcome sound in the spring. It is my first watercolor of a bird and was the beginning of many more to follow. I continue to paint them because they bring me joy.

Three grosbeaks feeding on the ground beneath a feeder. Original painting in watercolor.

This Golden Crowned Kinglet rests on a tree branch. I have never seen one but love his little yellow cap on top of his head. Original painted in watercolor.

A pair of goldfinches resting on branches after feeding on black sunflower seeds at my feeder. They are rendered in transparent watercolor and somehow remind me of our own humanness.

Two male cardinals in all their crimson glory provide a bright spot in a muted landscape. This was painted in transparent watercolor to portray the luminous quality of their plumage in contrast to the gray day.

A pair of chickadees seem to be having a conversation as they perch on branches of a backyard tree. This is a watercolor in neutral colors on an off white background.

A large lonely looking buffalo rests on a rocky clif as the snow falls around him.

A majestic elk leaps gracefully down a rugged hillside in the warm evening sunlight.

A shadowy pair of deer stand quietly in a the shallow waters of a dark little forest pond at daybreak.

A doe, a buck, and a fawn stand pensive in a quiet mountain stream earnestly peering into the shadows of an eerie pinewood forest.

An action-packed, ground-shaking vintage composition of a large golden bear being attacked by an even larger bull moose.

A small group of white mountain sheep relax in a beautiful snow drift with snow covered mountains in the background.

A Panther rests peacefully in the shadows on a lush vine covered hillside.

A noble looking bighorn mountain goat strikes a majestic pose atop a rugged cliff in the Rocky Mountains.

Here’s a tender nature scene of a doe hiding in a stand of early Spring willow trees by a small pond near Ronan, Montana.

A white Timber Wolf rests under the snowy branches of a pine tree.

An elk trots over a snow covered rocky hill in a cold desolate looking New Mexico landscape.

A scary looking mountain lion creeps down a rugged snow caked rocky ledge.

A snow-dusted bison stands on a rocky snow covered hillside.

Here’s a scenic composition of a group of Montana elk roaming through a misty morning field of cattails in the Rocky Mountains.

A mystical white-tail deer standing in front of a scenic mountain waterfall called Silver Stairs, near Essex, Montana.

Two frantic deer escape a stalking mountain lion. Here is an action packed nature composition. The strong diagonal lines of the foreground grass, the slanted sky line and the twisted trees all combine to create an atmosphere of tension for this frantic pair of white-tail deer as they desperately make their escape from a stalking mountain lion.

A black tail deer perched in a dusky sunlit mountain pass high atop Hurricane Ridge, in the Olympic National Forest, Washington State.

A wintry night scene of a gray wolf howling at the moon. Here’s a snowy mountain setting at night, under the light of a full moon with a timber wolf howling.

Here’s a dramatic nature scene of a Big Horn mountain goat perched on a steep hillside of the Rocky Mountains in Northern Montana.

A spotted ocelot creeps through the dark forest as he seems to be stalking some hidden prey. Taken at Grandfather Mountain Zoo, North Carolina.

Here’s a chilling composition of a bull moose plodding through a mountain stream in the falling snow.

This is a highly detailed composition of a stealthy mountain lion stalking down a rugged mountain ridge in the Rocky Mountains of Northern Montana.

A detailed, high resolution composition of a white tail buck grazing in a mountain meadow with the sun glaring through the background forest and highlighting the rich vegetation.

Scenic view of a white tailed deer standing in front of mountain lake. Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States. This scenic view of Flathead Lake was taken in June of 2006 near Polson, Montana.

A herd of buffalo gallop through the shadows of a massive cliff and are highlighted by the golden evening sunlight.

Two mountain goats pictured leaping gracefully across a rocky landscape in the dusky dusk.

A gray wolf peers out from the shadows of a ceder tree in the warm evening sunlight.

A majestic closeup of an elk's head and antlers hidden in the twilight shadows of a pine forest.

A colorful nature composition of a deer standing in a beautiful field of flowers in front of dark green trees.

A group of frisky deer scampering through a lush green pine forest in the misty morning.

A couple of deer watch a breath taking sunset high atop Hurricane Ridge located in the beautiful Olympic National Park, Washington State.

A luscious green early spring landscape with a deer drinking from a wooded pond in the morning mist. This scene was found outside of Sanford, North Carolina.

Image of the moon hanging over the water. This image was featured on Redbubble in the Live and Let Live group and New Creations group.

Moon in cloud reflection abstract. This image was featured in The Best of Anything and Everything on Redbubble.

I took a sunset image of mine and turned it into an abstract. This image was featured in Quality Art and Photography group on Redbubble.

This bird of prey was in my neighbors yard. He was ill and we took him to a bird rehabber.

This image I made with a moon and overlayed a saguaro cactus on the moon.This image was featured in Once in a Blue Moon and Bits and Pieces groups on Redbubble.

This cows skull I did a monochrome on and then highlighted the one horn and interior of the nose to give it more shadow. This image was featured in the Spirit of the Native American group on redbubble.

Sunset clouds with clouds over to let the sunset light to reflect on the lower clouds. This image was featured in my Both Sides Now Cloud group on Redbubble.

This macro image of a moss rose I put on a black background. this image was featured in Single Flower on Show, Postcard Style and Macro Photography on redbubble.

This image I monochromed and then Selective Colored the butterfly to make it stand out. This image was featured in That One Great Shot group on Redbubble.

This image of my frog ceramics was given a Flaming Pear effect to give a 3D look. This image was featured in Freedom to Shine group on Redbubble.

This image was of a set of clouds that had the wind giving them wrinkles on the bottom side. This image was featured in Skyscapes and a Top Ten Challenge Winner in Skyscapes on Redbubble.

Photo of Rio Grande River Bank near Caballo Lake Dam in New Mexico.This image has been featured in the group New Mexico on Redbubble.

This image was one of my first attempts at overlaying two images. This image has over 21,000 views on Redbubble and it has been featured in the groups, Trees, Sunsets and sunrises, and Postcard Style and New Creations.

Tree in lake with clouds hovering around at sunset. This image was a Top Ten Winner in A Challenge for Trees group.

Blue sky with clouds over water. This image was featured in the Water group on Redbubble.

Arizona storm cloud with water added to give the stormy sea look. This image was featured in the Mornings and Evenings and Sunbeams and Storms group on Redbubble.

This image of aloe vera buds was taken at dusk. The reason for the dark and light difference in the image. This image was featured in Mornings and Evenings and Sunbeams and Storms group on Redbubble.

This image of an Iris bloom was done in Selective Coloring were the water drops were only shown in color. This image was on the Front page of Redbubble in November of 2009.

Sunflower bud in the light. Recharacterized to give it depth. This image was featured in That One Great Shot group on Redbubble. This art work is registered copyright (c) 2007-2009 and any copyright infringement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in the USA and International.

Two wolves howling at a red moon. This image was featured in the Wolves in Art group on Redbubble. This image also has over 8500 views. This art work is registered copyright (c) 2007-2009 and any copyright infringement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in the USA and International.

This image of a polar bear in water was at a local zoo. He was playing with a piece of grass in his mouth. This image was featured in the Before and After Group on Redbubble. I recharacterized this image in Flaming Pear plugin with Photoshop to give the impression of glass.

Image of a wolf inset into a moon shot. This image was featured in the Spirit of the Native American group on Redbubble.

I made this image from several images. This image was featured in Wolves in Art on Redbubble.

Winter dead tree with a moon shot behind. This image was a Top Ten Challenge Winner in Around the World on Redbubble.

This image atop of the Black Range Mountains in New Mexico showing the distant mountains. The limbs of this tree made me think of a rifle sight. This image was featured in the New Mexico group on Redbubble.

My Husband gave me tulips for my birthday and this image I took and enhanced with a Photoshop filter. This image was featured in the group Creative,Talented and Unknown on redbubble.

This was my red tabby male cat who died last year. This image was manipulated in a photoshop plugin. This image was featured in the All Things Orange Art Gallery on Redbubble.

Macro of rivets in a historic manmade copper mining barrel, given at an angle for an abstract view. This image was featured in the group Around the World on Redbubble. This art work is registered copyright (c) 2007-2009 and any copyright infringement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in the USA and International.

Dark window on orange wall deep set for an abstract look. This image was featured in the Photography 101 group and a Top Ten Challenge Winner on Redbubble. This art work is registered copyright (c) 2007-2009 and any copyright infringement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in the USA and International.

This image is of two cosmos which I recharacterized and one now looks like an irridescent fish and flower. This image was featured in the Before and After and Around the World groups on Redbubble.

Rustic door recharacterized in photoshop. This image was featured in Around the World group in Redbubble.com. This art work is registered copyright (c) 2007-2009 and any copyright infringement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in the USA and International.

Rustic door recharacterized in photoshop.This image has been featured in two groups on Redbubble. 1. Experimental group for the effects and 2. Windows and Doors group.

Photo of old adobe house enhanced in a photoshop plugin to give the shadow effect. This image was featured on Redbubble in the Before and After group. This art work is registered copyright (c)2008 and any copyright infringement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in the USA and International. This art work is NOT public domain.

This image of a corner of a western looking motel was featured in the Experimental group on Redbubble for the effects I used on the image.

This image is of an extreme sunset because of mountain fires in the Rincon Mountains behind my home. This image is featured on the Home Page of Mosaicglobe and was a Challenge Winner in the Around the World Sunsets Challenge on Redbubble.

Picture of the moons reflection on water. Top Ten Winner in Challenge, Shoot the Moon Group on Redbubble.

Skyscape and waterscape. Color effects used to give a deeper contrast. Featured in Both Sides Now (clouds Only) group on Redbubble.

Stormy snow clouds over the Whetstone Mountains in SE Arizona. This image was featured in the American Southwest group on Redbubble. This art work is registered copyright (c) 2007-2010 and any copyright infringement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in the USA and International.

Original Oil on canvas of Crystal Cove, Laguna Beach, California. The original has been sold

“Beaches” is a 30 X 40 oil painting on canvas inspired by the bungalow filmed in the movie Beaches, located at Crystal Cove in Laguna Beach.

Hotel Laguna at Laguna Main Beach, California Original is sold

The Dana Point harbor watercolor was commissioned as a Christmas gift. I have to say...I also love the harbor too!

I was inspired to create the “Endless Summer” watercolor to visually transport the viewer to a time of the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean, along with the sound of the surf, the aroma of the sea and the warmth of the sun. The original has been sold.

Watercolor of a classic 1940 Oldsmobile woodie surfer wagon on the beach at the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The original has been sold.

Watercolor of a 1941 Ford Woodie at the San Clemente pier. The original has been sold.

Blackies, located across from the pier in Newport Beach California, has been a popular watering hole for many years. The original has been sold.

The surf was perfect yesterday! Newport Beach, California. The original has been sold.

This is how Surf City looked when Jan and Dean were singing surf tunes. The original has been sold.

1936 Ford Woodie wagon on the beach at Old Man's San Onofre, CA. The original has been sold.

The Surf Theater gained fame in the 1960s for screening movies such as “The Endless Summer” and “Five Summer Stories”. The theater was located just one block north of the pier on 5th St in “Surf City” Huntington Beach, and was demolished in 1989. I have rendered the image in a sepia toned watercolor to preserve the memory. The original has been sold.

Original watercolor of two woodies on the beach at Crystal Cove, laguna Beach, California. The original has been sold.

In the late 60’s my wife and I owned a VW Bus and passed by the Sound Spectrum in Laguna Beach almost on a daily basis. I wish I had given our ride a psychedelic paint job!

Original watercolor size 20 X 27. The Crab Cooker is a famous landmark in Newport Beach, CA. My wife and I used to live within walking distance of the Crab Cooker when we were in our twenties. The Blue VW was stolen from us while my wife was at the beach. It has been reported that Nixon was once made to wait for a table along with all of the other patrons, on a busy summer day.

My Dad's Flying "A" gas station. While growing up Upland, California, my father owned a Flying “A” gas station. It was great to have a job waiting for me and my brothers as soon as we could reach a windshield. Remember the days when you pulled into a gas station, purchased a few dollars of Ethyl or Regular, had your windshield washed, the air in your tires checked and the fluid checked under your hood? I have turned back the clock a bit with the truck, and the pumps, and have added my childhood dog, Sarge, who used to greet the customers.

In the 1960s the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach was host to many famous musicians and rock groups. While living in Huntington Beach and studying art at Long Beach State, my favorite show was Linda Ronstadt. The Golden Bear opened in 1929 and was demolished in 1986. I have rendered this watercolor in sepia tones to preserve the memory.

The hotel and lifeguard tower in Laguna Beach, CA

I hope to spend some time this summer sitting in a beach chair taking in the sun sand and surf. The original watercolor has been sold.

While walking at the Dana Point Harbor, this single little row boat captured my eye. I liked the simplicity of this image, and was compelled to capture it in watercolor. The original has been sold.

I was able to snap a few shots of this abandoned sugar mill in Maui Hawaii, to use as reference material for this watercolor painting. The original has been sold.

Maui, Hawaii Original is sold

Hana Shack, Maui Hawaii. The original has been sold.

I was inspired to paint the Road to Hana after a visit to Maui Hawaii. The original has been sold.

While out with my camera, I came upon this beautiful ‘55 Chevy. I was intrigued to try to capture its reflections in watercolor.

Harley watercolor. Original has been sold.

The Harley...A work of art on two wheels!

Classic Harley Indian. The Original has been sold.

Maui Hawaii. Original has been sold

Cinque Terre, Italy Original has been sold.

Cinque Terre, Italy

Florence, Italy. Original watercolor size 20 X 27. I was inspired to paint the Ponte Vecchio following a recent trip to Italy. Florence was amazing. Great People, architecture, museums, food, wine and gelatto! The original has been sold.

Florence, Italy Original is sold

Cinqueterra, Italy Original is sold

Tuscan Village Original is sold

Nafpaktos, Greece Original is sold

The Colosseum in Rome, Italy

Columns in Rome, Italy

This was a commissioned watercolor of the Mission San Juan Capistrano, founded November 1, 1776, by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order. The mission is famous for the swallows returning every year.

Bicyclist in Lucca, Italy. The original has been sold.

Bicyclist in Lucca, Italy

Bicycle Repairman in Lucca, Italy

The Crystal Cove Date Shack above Crystal Cove, Laguna Beach, California. The original has been sold.

A 1941 Chevrolet pulled up to the curb of my concept of anywhere USA. The original watercolor has been sold.

1941 Chevy on Route 66 in Texas. This piece was published in "Art of the American West" by Caroline Linscott and Julie Christiansen Dull

59 Chevy Truck in Monument Valley

Dick Tracy speeding down Main Street

Woodie Surf Wagon in Huntington Beach, California Original is sold

1948 Chrysler Town & Country Woodie

Haden Kenney Surfboards, Australia George Greenough's wheels Original is sold

Adirondack Chairs

Two woodies at Doheny Beach, CA. The original has been sold.

Laguna Main Beach, CA

Fire Escape on an alley in Roslyn Washington

Femme Fatale

Original watercolor from my fractured faces series. The original has been sold.

Watercolor of a figure in motion. The original has been sold

Original watercolor of a figure in motion. The original has been sold.

Original Watercolor....Welcoming 2012.

Portrait of a girl seeking independence, and taking charge of her life.

The Hotel Oliver located at a historic train depot in Santa Rosa, CA

Original watercolor of an abandoned railroad car by the historic train depot in Santa Rosa, CA Size 17 X 24

Reflection in Palm Springs swimming pool

Hero was a commissioned watercolor. I was fortunate to get to know Hero and capture his likeness before his passing.

Cody...Please contact me if you are interested in a commissioned watercolor dog portrait.

Sadie...Please contact me if you are interested in a commissioned watercolor dog Portrait.

The Golden Bear with white border.

The Love Bus with border

Crystal Cove, Laguna Beach, CA. The original has been sold.

Surfer girl cruising PCH in her Town and Country Woodie. Original watercolor size 18 X 27.

The original watercolor “Baywatch Christmas” was commissioned and used as a Christmas card by one of the producers of the popular TV show Baywatch. The final design had the Baywatch logo in stars sweeping across the sky.

Fishing off Barview Jetty on the Oregon Coast.

Watercolor

Watercolor

Save Americas wild horses.

Watercolor, seem to be obsessed with cats these days...

The funniest cat I've ever met.

Watercolor of a mostly white cat.

Bug hunter and chaser of birds, Gus is Zoey's bbf.

Watercolor of a cat lounging on a sofa.

Loves his ball !

My beautiful friend Zoey. Half Border Collie, half Austrailian Shepard and as smart as a whip. She was 8 yrs old last week.

Everyones best friend. Watercolor

We call her 'Lilly bin laden' because she's such a little terror around the house.

Watercolor

Watercolor

Three friends or maybe sisters.

Watercolor

A fun painting of a magical snowman.

Watercolor.

Watercolor of some holiday activities.

Watercolor

A scene at our local Suffolk Punch stud farm here in Suffolk. Originally drawn with graphite pencil.

Mixed media

An impressionistic watercolor of a colorful seahorse

A watercolor painting of Koi carp streaming in clear water.

A watercolor portrait of four hounds, including a lovely old Basset hound.

Originally a pencil portrait on Bristol smooth board

Originally created with coloured pencil on black mount board.

An impressionistic watercolour painting of a mighty winged horse.

A small kitten finds an unusual place for a nap. Originally pencil on Bristol board.

A kitten chooses an unusual place to take a nap. Originally painted with watercolour.

A triumphant rider and racehorse cross the finish line.

An impressionistic watercolour interpretation of a spirited stallion bursting into a gallop.

An impressionistic painting of a galloping stallion.

Randy Holbrook performs with Off Kilter, a Celtic rock pand appearing at Walt Disney World's Epcot at the Canada Pavilion in World Showcase. (www.randyholbrook.com)

Detail of the beautiful feathers of a Scarlet Macaw from Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Architectural feature in the Asia area of Disney's Animal Kingdom

Lovely pair of Blue and Yellow Macaws enjoy the morning at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida

Beautiful Scarlet Macaw pair on the Oasis Pathway at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Flamingo napping at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Lovely hood ornament from days gone by

Red goodness from past glories

Cadillac wasn't the only one with the swanky fins! This old Chrysler had a pretty good go at it, too!

High atop the entrance plaza at Disney's Hollywood Studio

Transportation awaits the adventurous rider at Disney's Animal Kingdom

it's a barn just up the road from here, the sun has vanished over there just beyond the utah line. there's a little breeze and it lifts the tail feathers of a pair of magpies. and it's soooo quiet...

seeing this snowy scene of desicated flowers, i thought immediately of the great canadian wildlife artist robert bateman -- stark and abstract driven, the picture is a more a story about the landscape than the subtly depicted goldfinch (although it is seed-rich for foraging).

a dank old fencerow near here. just a a faint warming of light over the sodden autumn weeds, and then appears a couple of cheerful chipping sparrows. they can't sing worth a darn, but neither can i.

my annual fall trip to the Bosque del Apache wildlife refuge yielded a digital heap of photos-- it's a magnificent place to view sandhills and snowgeese and a host of other endemics. one viewing platform is called 'flight deck' because from that spot at the crack of dawn one can behold the simultaneous lift-off of thousands of geese. the sounds, mists and morning light are unforgettable.

i visited mathias seal island in new brunswick a few years ago-- a prime and protected puffin nest site off northern maine. of course there are no jagged snowy peaks visible from there, but i concocted the scene from a seal island foreground and a norwegian fjord background. same bird, different continent.

the lewis is a threatened woodpecker of dry mountainsides out west-- the green is slightly iridescent and typically appears black until the right light causes him to glow like an emerald.

perhaps one reason birders have varying degrees of contempt for european house sparrows is that they (like rock doves) are associated with dwelling among us, in places often not so pretty...

a male yellow rumped warbler makes a brief appearance to whistle a territorial song before plunging again into the anonymity of thick foliage.

native to the west coast of central south america, i got to admire the playful humboldts at columbus zoo. this started out as a bit of an abstract, but i kept painting in more detail.

during migration a sudden storm forced this female rufous hummingbird to seek shelter in a rocky crevice. used to perching, her tail feathers are spread out on the ground. a whisper of a rainbow hints that the weather will soon clear.

woodland birds of central Africa.

a male hairy woodpecker avails himself of the ripened bounty of a mullein stalk: a veritable seed bank of food.

in a sylvan backwater bathed in emerald light, a flamingo preens; it is a moment of tranquility just before darkness descends.

in the stifling heat of summer, birds and butterflies alike bask in the billowing cool mist of a rain forest waterfall.

a gorgeous bird-- like all warblers, so active that they were difficult to photograph. fortunately they were abundant along the shore of lake erie in may.

remembering that john james audubon shot his specimens and strung them into positions as lifelike as he could manage, i decided to mimic that odd and quaint look-- although i didn't have to shoot my specimen-- he was found dead. woodcocks have an amazing nuptial flight that involves launching skyward at sunset and then diving back to earth emitting his beautiful call: a wonderful song of spring.

when in italy i hiked way above lago maggiori through deep and cool emerald woodlands, and finally discovered a gorgeous series of waterfalls. great spot to place a european dipper.

a fair number of trumpeters breed across the midwest. this one pauses in migration to sit out a stiff headwind.

with his golden spectacles and ebony necklace, a canada warbler makes a brief but brilliant flash of color in the shadowed woodland.

here's a winter pic to challenge the oppressive heat of summer. near here is an apple orchard and a derelict fenceline-- perfect spot to place a pair of happy titmouses. or is it titmice?

i love these endless backroads over on the "sill" of the grand staircase escalante. this one heads south toward the mountain ute reservationthrough anasazi bean fields, sunflowers and winter wheat . i painted in some sandhill cranes so it wouldn't seem too lonely.

this ancient arm chair sits out by the barn-- the dogs love to sit there in the sunset. one evening i saw a handsome male house finch availing himself of the stuffing fibers for his nest. glad that we could be of some help.

perched high on a dry century agave plant, a pair of white winged doves bask between a sunset and an approaching squall.

spring rivals, the full bloom of crabapple flowers and the breeding plumage of the male american goldfinch.

out of a foggy marsh a great blue heron takes flight

i tried a chinese feel to this portrait of a pair of african crowned cranes browsing through tall golden sunset grass (apologies for the borrowed red stamp-- i have no idea what it means, hopefully not something bad ;-)

nesting out by the shed, a pair of barn swallows consider the day.

a sketchy rendering of a baby mute swan i saw along an Italian lake-- it may have been Garda. the attentive mother was also quite nearby.

a warbling vireo happened by my backyard and gave a song in exchange for the fine opportunity to glean the vernal greenery.

i lived several months in eilat, israel and loved the wonderful birds there where the ocean meets the desert. invariably my attempts to photograph the bee-eaters resulted in capturing them on barbed wire-- not too surprising it is everywhere along the jordanian border...

amid some ivy near the forest floor, a magnolia warbler feeds a bit and then looking toward the canopy, considers resuming the migration...

there are likely migratory warblers that live their entire lives and never see snow. well, this guy made his flight from the tropics and got an interesting surprise...

a female broad tailed hummingbird on a splendid perch to dry out a bit after a summer shower. she fluffs her feathers out and basks in the warm evening light.

this is a correction of the originally uploaded "delicate perch" which has a fairly conspicuous flaw. i didn't want to immediately delete the original since it has garnered some nice comments, but in the event of a sale, i want this repaired image to be available. cheers, chris

photographed at the bosque del apache, this bird shows us the amazing complex patterns of his back, while hiding the more striking chest. he rests on a scrub of black-eyed susan, a plant that seems to be ever more common in our area.

merlin study

another piece utilizing the fine evening light that fell on a bucket filled with apples sitting on my back porch. lest we think the chickadee is too big, i will point out that the apples are very small ;-).

drawn to all things ruby, a male black-chinned hummingbird pauses in his frantic search for sustenance to consider a bucket of tart apples.

there is a beautiful little lake near the jackson lake lodge where i've seen trumpeters nesting fifty yards from sandhill cranes. it's a gorgeous spot, and it's the inspiration for this family portrait.

of the thrushes, perhaps the least known and appreciated is the townsend's solitaire, but it's a beautiful bird and vivid songster; this one catches a bit of "alpen glow" as the sun goes down.

out birding the marshes, one is bound to occassionally violate the personal space of a nesting bird. here a male redwing shoots across my line of photo-vision letting me know i'm too close to the nest.

our winters in southwest colorado are typically rather mild and the meadowlarks don't go far-- sometimes they even appear walking across the snow. this fellow showed up at our birdfeeder in the dead of winter.

just a wide open depiction of a mature bald eagle against a marvelous blue sky stretching out in full flight.

it's hard to imagine the physiology that would permit one to be as happy upside down as right, but the nuthatch pulls it off, an acrobat of the furrowed bark.

yep-- even vultures yawn. or he's laughing, not sure which...

this is an old out building on my 'farm'. though we're in colorado, i painted in an eastern bluebird. hmm. what was i thinking?

Based on a photo i took on the shores of Lac Leman (Geneva) near Lausanne Switzerland.

i've built a little historic chinese feel into this depiction of sandhill cranes working a flooded pasture in the radiant light of sunset. something has startled them and droplets fly as they assume an alert posture.

at both sunrise and sunset in the bosque del apache there is an enormous and breathtaking movement of thousands of birds, predominately sandhill cranes and snowgeese. the sound, brilliant desert colors and flurry of activity is unforgettable: exhilarating yet tranquil.

i couldn't decide if i like this one better with a modest background or - as in the previous version- a plain wall. feedback would be appreciated.

another amazing specimen rescued by a local rehabilitator. rather than intending to depict him as the fierce predatory warrior, i tried to suggest a bit of sadness and his indignation about the human-caused injury (the right wing shows a red spot near his injury).

along a mountain road near telluride colorado, the distant ridge of a slope across the narrow valley appears astonishingly blue. against the dappled cobalt and yellow a raven chortles.

a rescued ferruginous hawk-- a splendid subject for a portrait with his alabaster smooth "bib" and caramel toned streaks.

out beside my derelict old haybarn is a post with several spools of barbed wire around it creating a kind of abstract series of shapes. i imagined a cute little saw whet posing there briefly.

the woodland is flooded by the rio grande river much of the year-- this creates a fabulous habitat for wintering birds like sandhill cranes and a plethora of waterfowl.

it's a long and sometimes stormy flight back home. a migrating mountain bluebird rests on a post along a remote valley. to retain body heat he fluffs his feathers into a puffy ball. but the clarion summer sun will soon bask him in warmth again.

in southwest colorado, we can only enjoy this graceful bird for a few weeks in the spring as they stop over on their trek to points northward. here a group of five avocets plies the shallow water of a lakeside.

i'm used to looking up at owls, and seeing them obscured deeply in branches or nearly invisible against similarly colored background; therefore i enjoyed depicting one at eye level and with unobstructed clarity to let the glowing eyes shine out.

a male gambel's quail emerges from the safety and obscurity of the underbrush to risk a full view of the valley.

sandhill cranes take flight somewhere south of the bosque del apache...

a pair of tree swallows dart over a willow-draped pond

years ago i was paddling in the oxbow section of the snake river in Grand Teton National Park. i was drawn to a sandbar where at least a dozen pelicans were reclining. the gentle wind blew my boat very gradually straight toward them. the opportunity afforded me some great shots-- too bad they were all spoiled when water got into the film. still, using one of the better of the damaged images, i painted in the details and light as i remember them.

i had to sign 300 of these prints for the magazine so if you want one of those (14 x 9.6"), just email me. i built this image from photos i took in saguaro national park.

a thick blanket of snow covers the western landscape. a juvenile marsh hawk brushes close to an old barn as part of her circuit-- nothing is astir. she flies on.

the endangered palila survives on the slopes of mauna kea on the big island of hawaii.

fall in the forest, filtered light, and a perfect perch.

a western screech owl catches the last dim light of dusk just before a snow squall rolls in.

a fairly old guy that lives in the rehabilitation center in santa fe new mexico. the billows of feathers, especially around his throat, makes him a splendid model.

a western bluebird settles into the leeward side of a aspen tree as an early evening fog turns to light rain.

a beautiful old fence line, filigreed with odd twists of wire becomes the focal point of this painterly depiction of a jay against a bleary sunset.

the magnificent old mission at laguna new mexico is shown by moonlight through the bare branches of ancient cottonwood trees. in a very tranquil moment, i imagined a roadrunner taking a brief pause atop the outer adobe wall.

a busy little nuthatch probes a labyrinth of driftwood along a colorado lakeside.

a colorado crabapple tree in late bloom is visited by a male hummingbird.

a pair of seed searching siskins perches on an old farm gate

a clever little downy woodpecker contemplates a "menu spread across a shaggy trunk of juniper. a light snow begins to fall as evening approaches.

photographed near telluride colorado in autumn, the water was shimmering with bright rocks and leaves, and the busy dipper was good enough to pause and "smile" for me.

a study of a trumpeter swan

an oregon junco perches on a frozen wine of virginia creeper as the snow swirls around.

a bristly mature raven chortles above his mountain domain.

looking down on the colorado river near moab, utah, we see a heron taking flight in the amber glow of canyon sunset.

a slightly impressionistic look at a heron gently descending on a foggy marsh.

before the snowfall a dense fog blew in-- along with a handsome redtail hawk.

a yellow headed blackbird in a light fog surveys a pond edge among dense bullrushes.

a harris hawk suddenly catches the movement of potential prey.

fully fledged, a young says phoebe waits patiently for his parents to both feed him and show him the "ropes".

i've seen many shrikes but i've never observed their famous penchant for skewering prey-- so this piece is a slightly macabre indulgence of my imagination.

a male western bluebird in the last flush of autumn's color.

with the old barn door gone, the rusty hinge makes a perfect perch for a female cardinal.

a bluebird finds a fine perch on an old dilapidated fence row among the blooming rabbitbrush.

a eagle surveys a meadow between the mountains and the desert.

The twins' first attempt at building a time travel device met with much derision from the scientific community.

Betty Anne proudly displays her award winning blowfish, Goliath.