Tuesday, April 8, 2008


"harrier.flight.two"


"harrier.flight.three"

I made three images that sampled a beautiful photograph of a northern harrier hawk in flight over Southern California scrub - the two images here are complete abstractions and bear almost no resemblance to the original photograph. The third is a bit much closer to the photo, so I will not post it unless given permission.

So, maybe this is a bit of delayed gratification for me.

Irene commented that I was intrigued by nature - that is true. I find nothing more uplifting than being at a marsh before a sunrise. Mosquitoes are tolerated. Alligators or poisonous snakes nearby, less so.

I have never seen as many snakes as I have near Houston, Texas in April. On that trip I had my rental car stuck in the sand next to a bunch of weeds with a huge sign - "Warning Rattlesnakes." I think it was placed there to keep people out. This was on the coast near Aransas Wildlife Refuge where we saw the endangered whooping cranes dancing afar.

One in ten people in Houston also drive quite crazy. This makes it very dangerous since you are apt to let your guard down.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

check out http://godwitdays.com/
wish you were here.
beautiful colors and softness and luminosity...it does look like velvet. i love how you did that.
i can't see birds now without thinking of you john. tonight i saw a starling strutting with a piece of popcorn in its beak. it was one of the funniest things i've seen in a long time.
~sue okieffe

Irene said...

I am with Sue, when I see a bird, I think, "I must remember what that bird is, so I can tell John." I always promptly forget, but I see many different kinds now that I've started looking. I especially see very little finches hopping around between the bushes in the gardens. They are cute and small and quite pretty and very prettily coated as if they have been hand painted. I want to pick them up and have a good look at them.

Now, of course we are all curious about the image you are not showing.

Artists With Artitude said...

Houston, we have a problem! ....Please know that Austin is NOTHING like Houston :)