Category Archives: Harvard Forest

Painting from Plein Air Drawings, Part 2

Posted on March 13, 2015 by

The routine: door closed, music cranked up, paint brush moves to the beat. Time flies agreeably as a painting takes shape. Yesterday’s soundtrack: Warren Zevon, Talking Heads and the ever-energetic Rolling Stones. These are places of rich history. The beautiful ruin of an apple-cider mill on … Continue reading →

Posted in archeology, architecture, Art Studio, bird art, Culture, Diversions, Environment, field sketching, Harvard Forest, history, landscapes, Music, natural history, Nature, New England, painting, Petersham, plein air, Pop culture references | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Studio Paintings from Plein Air Drawings

Posted on February 26, 2015 by

One sees the prairie in layers: sky, grass, soil. And then there’s the forest, constructed from tall, thin strips: tree stems, stacked stones, waterfalls, a slice of sky at the top. One set of laminations lays out flat, the other stands on … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Art materials, Art Studio, bird art, birds, Drawing, field sketching, Harvard Forest, Nature, New England, painting, plein air | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Best of 2011, A Motmot’s View

Posted on December 27, 2011 by

1) Best Rediscovered Antique Food: Apples and Cider. If there’s a characteristic product of New England, it’s not maple syrup, it’s apples and cider. In drawing the ruins of cider mills, I obsess over apples,  modes of milling them for … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure!, archeology, Art, bird art, birding, birds, Drawing, Environment, field sketching, Harvard Forest, history, literature, Nature, New England, plein air, Sketching, Stupid Critter Tricks, Thoreau, Wildlife | 15 Comments

Birds and Boulders: new drawings

Posted on June 8, 2011 by

I’ve been hearing complaints that this hasn’t been a great migrant year (unless you happened to be in Central Park this spring- they had a splendid run) but to my  eyes, it’s been glorious. An hour each morning with binoculars … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, bird art, birding, birds, Drawing, field sketching, Harvard Forest, history, Nature, New England, plein air, Sketching | 4 Comments

Earth Day 2011: Trees and Other Necessities

Posted on April 22, 2011 by

White-throated sparrows are singing in cold, blustery Petersham. Back  in Oklahoma that   would have announced the onset of winter.  Here in the north it ostensibly heralds spring, which at this point is a mere promise; I’m still dressed in down … Continue reading →

Posted in archeology, Art, Drawing, field sketching, Harvard Forest, history, Nature, New England, Petersham, plein air, Sketching, Weather | 15 Comments

A Story Set in Stone

Posted on April 11, 2011 by

I spent almost all of Sunday drawing a single-boulder slab quarry.  My project here in Harvard Forest is to make drawings of certain things, namely, the abandoned ruins of early New England settlement being reclaimed by nature. Nature tends to … Continue reading →

Posted in archeology, Art, birds, field sketching, Harvard Forest, history, Nature, New England, Petersham | 5 Comments

New England Hearth-Warming

Posted on March 25, 2011 by

I’m sitting beside a crackling blaze in our Petersham parlor, enjoying the warmth and comfort of one of the three fireplaces in our four room apartment (we’re just using one fireplace. Not to worry). In the 18th century when Higginson … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Harvard Forest, history, Nature, New England, Petersham | 9 Comments