25,000 Miles on the Wing

Reposted from May 2022 newsletter.

Arctic to Antarctic and back every year. That's what the Arctic Tern does... FLIES from one end of the globe to the other.

Twice a year. Every year. It tops the list for longest migrations in the world. 25,000 miles.

I wrote about this entertaining, social, and phenomenal bird last August in my Meanderings blog. Head on over there for a quick read. It's one of my favorite posts, and I remain enamored with the species.

Here, I want to say a few words about what you see on this double-page spread from my sketchbook.

There are two types of sketches: graphite and watercolor.

The graphite sketches represent what I could achieve in the field; my personal observations and on-site  sketches from life, as the bird was doing its thing; pretty much always on the hunt for food.

The drawings are larger than those of the juvenile eagle in last month's newsletter. They also have darker lines establishing the shapes.

Both techniques express confidence with hand-eye-brain coordination; essentially, trusting that I can capture what I see.

Except for the large image spanning both pages, the watercolor sketches were developed in a technique called "direct painting".

This means no drawing of any sort was done to create the shapes before watercolor pigment was applied.

The brush and pigment lay down the shapes that create the essence of a species, be it plant, animal, or anything else. This journal entry exemplifies  what I call "Purposeful Play".

The sketchbook is not only a place to draw and write about the observations I've made so that I continue to learn about the natural world around me.

It is also a place to practice – with intent – the many different art skills I have, creating muscle memory so to speak, and to develop new skills.Just as a musician practices different skills to master them, or to develop new pieces of music, so to does the artist.

Back to the Arctic Tern...25,000 miles every year. Did you get that?