Birches and their Neighbors - Day 28

Tracks Left By a Mourning Dove 

A path in the snow  

- with a cone from a tamarack tree  

Easily identified by its long tapering tail, and light beige coloring, the Mourning Dove is a common sight in tree branches and on telephone wires. The name "mourning dove" comes from the birds' long-drawn-out coo-coo-coo call that has been described as sounding like a lament.
The Mourning Dove's diet is mostly small seeds, which the birds peck from the ground, moving quickly to hunt for more food and avoid predators. But they don't stay on the ground for long, zooming back to their secure perches again. These tracks are the evidence that they have been here.

Birches and their Neighbors - Day 20

Yarrow in Snow

Yarrow in Snow  

- a tiny celebration at my feet 

Making my way through an accumulation of snow, I nearly walked on this yarrow plant. It looked like a set of miniature fireworks, radiating an exuberant display of energy in the snow drift.
Yarrow is so common, growing by roadsides and in fields, that people may not even know its name, let alone its reputation. But Achillea millefolium has a medicinal history going back to ancient Greek soldiers who used its astringent properties to treat battle wounds. It is a common plant that is uncommonly useful and it is pretty, summer and winter.

Birches and their Neighbors - Day 11

Light Snow on a Field

A Field of Winter Trees  

- with a light overnight accumulation of snow

There's a path that runs just behind this cluster of trees, and a slow-running creek just beyond the path.
The creek is frozen over, there is no wind, and no-one has ventured outside yet this morning on the path, so the overnight blanket of light snow lies undisturbed.

Birches and their Neighbors - Day 10

Light Snow on Fir Branches

A Fir Tree Twig 

- with a light dusting of snow

You might walk past this young fir tree with the spines of its branches mounded with fine powdery snow. And then, suddenly, if you step back to look again, the whole tree comes a festive structure of stripes in light and dark.

This is the entire fir tree, it looks rather unremarkable in its setting at the corner of the driveway, dwarfed by more substantial trees.
And closeup, what an impressive sight! 

Birches and their Neighbors - Day 8

Birch Catkins

Birch Catkins

- gone to seed 

Catkins. Such a cute word. The origin of the word is, yes, exactly what you think... cats.
Catkins are the flowers, male and female, of the birch tree and its relatives. They are called "catkins" because they do look like a tiny feline tail. On a birch tree, in spring and early summer, the female flowers stand upright on their stems, and the male flowers hang down heavy with pollen. Even before the trees are in full leaf, the female flowers have been pollinated by the wind, and by late summer a crop of tiny triangular birch seeds come whirling to the ground.

Birches and their Neighbours - Day 6

Birch With Drifted Snow

Windblown Snow   

- caught in the roughness of birch bark

Black and White version

We are building up an accumulation of snow, a few inches at a time.
The wind blows the tiny snow crystals away from exposed areas, and the particles get caught and build up on rough surfaces like tangled grasses, weathered rocks and in this case, heavily textured birch bark.

Birches and their Neighbours - Day 5

Fir With Birches

Fir Tree Growing Tall  

- in the shadow of birch trees

I've been watching this fir tree for a while, wondering if it will take on the shape of a good Christmas tree.
It is growing tall and nicely spread out in the shadow and under the protection of a cluster of birches.
But the birches look like they don't want to let this particular fir tree go any time soon.

Birches and their Neighbours - Day 4

What Grows on an old Birch Tree?

Lichens on a Birch Tree Trunk  

- texture upon texture

As if the glory of weathered birch bark peeling off in strips of parchment and tissue paper isn't enough, older birch trees accumulate colonies of lichens as well. Lichens are interesting - neither plant nor animal, they are a symbiotic blend of algae and fungi. Lichens are able to make their own food by photosynthesis, so they aren't parasites and don't harm the tree. And the textures!

Birches and their Neighbors - Day 2

Frost on Birch Tree Trunk

I love birch trees.

I love the solid cylindrical form of a birch tree trunk when I touch it and the fluttery sound of its dry papery shreds. I love the subtle colors of birch bark and the mottled dark and light patterns of the scars where branches have detached from the trunk.

I love the play of sunlight through the leaves of a birch in summer and through the complicated filagree of the branches in winter. I love the warmth from birch logs burning in a fireplace, and I love the taste of bitter-sweet birch syrup. 

And I love the look of a stand of tall birches swaying in the wind. I love birch trees.

Art Every Day Month - Nov 28 -

Snowy Birches

Snowy Birches  - an overnight accumulation

Source photo

This time of year, with the temperature hovering around the freezing mark, some precipitation falls as rain and some falls as snow. Rain and drizzle make for dreary weather, but November snow is a novelty and it's quite attractive to look at, so we put up with the inconvenience of slush and slippery conditions underfoot.

Art Every Day Month - Nov 21 -

Winter Fireweed

Winter Fireweed  - a pioneer species waiting for its time

Source photo

Fireweed is called a pioneer species, because it establishes itself rapidly in areas where the ground has been burnt-over or where the soil has been disturbed.
In summer, the fireweed sports bright magenta flowers on a straight tall stalk, and in winter, the fireweed's leaves dry into curved hooks which mat together and trap the plant's fly-away seeds in with other wind-borne material. Fireweed seeds remain viable in the ground for years, waiting for conditions to be right for a new plant to spring into blossom. A pioneer indeed!

Art Every Day Month - Nov 19 -

Alders for Winter

Alders for Winter - food for overwintering birds 

Source Photo

Alders, birches and poplar trees provide food for birds and small animals during the winter. It's fun watching the red polls and chickadees peck at alder cones like this to release the seeds hidden inside.  It's a natural bird feeder.

Monochrome Color Scheme - Green

Monochrome Color Scheme - Green

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Digital drawing, 800 px x 600 px
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The human eye can detect more tints and shades of green than any other color. I guess this is because we evolved in the trees needing to identify food plants and plants for other uses.

In this drawing, I used dark and middle dark shades of green, a saturated green and a pale green, plus a black line drawing to pull the design together.
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Monochrome Color Scheme - Red

Monochrome Color Scheme - Red

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Digital drawing, 800px x 600 px
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This is the final version of the monochrome image, with the four layers for pale pink, rose, saturated red and brown opened on top of each other. The black layer that you saw earlier is hidden.

All these colors are based on a hue (color) of red, with variations on their saturation (intensity) and their value (lightness or darkness.)
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Monochrome Color Scheme - Red [Level 2 - The Brown Layer]

Monochrome Color Scheme - Red [Level 2 - The Brown Layer]
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Digital Drawing, 800 px x 600 px
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I am working through the various color levels in this image, and placing each color on a separate layer. This makes it easier for me to see the effect of each color on the entire drawing, and yet make corrections, if I find it necessary.

This layer shows the brown tone in this design. Of its hue, saturation and value, the hue is red, the saturation is full, and the intensity is about half that of a brilliant red. That is the only difference between the colors brown and red, they're the same, but brown is darker.

Still more to come!

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Monochrome Color Scheme - Red [Level 1 - The Black Layer]

Monochrome Color Scheme - Red [Level 1 - The Black Layer]

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Digital drawing, 800 px x 600 px
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My working method for these digital drawings is to use layers to separate the colors I am using. I am finding that each layer has its own charm and individual beauty beyond its contribution to the finished drawing.

Although the basic hue in this monochrome image is Red, my starting point is usually a drawing in black to establish fundamentals of value and contrast, and to place the various shapes and areas of tone. So, from my work-in-progress, here is the black component.

There's more to come!
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Monochrome Color Scheme - Yellow

Monochrome Color Scheme - Yellow
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Digital drawing, 800 px x 600 px
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Monochrome means one color, and this monochrome color scheme is based on the single hue of yellow.
Other characteristics of color are saturation and value. There is only one saturated yellow in this design, all the other yellow tints and yellow shades are based on this one hue.

The background is a neutral gray, to provide contrast against the yellows.
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