Springtime in Pagosa Country..

Yep, it is Springtime in the Rocky Mountain State..4 inches of new snow and more on the way. Garden is growing in the window sills, and birds are flocking to the feeder. I had Evening Grosbeaks, Sparrows, Common Redpolls, Juncos and believe it or not, 4 fat Robins, who were chowing down on fallen seed from the feeder. These birds are all harbingers of Spring.

I have been in the studio painting new pieces before the spring show season starts and getting the galleries some new works..below is a painting of  a Prairie Falcon I spotted, sitting camouflaged in the Aspens near our county fairgrounds. This was a fun piece to work on and is now at home in the Southwest Gallery, Downtown Pagosa Springs.

We have had several Ravens in our yard lately, so I decided to paint one. This piece of stone is porous like sand stone and made a perfect background for these interesting birds.
It is amazing to just sit quietly and watch the wildlife in your own habitat..I call my yard my Wildlife Sanctuary..all critters are welcome except the Skunks...lol.

I just finished this wolf today on a great piece of stone forming a gray and cream colored canvas..

As for my watercolor with pen and ink, I am working on a series of swamp birds..each piece is 8x10" and are available for sale at www.fineartamerica.com.

Redwing Black Bird which is a spring visitor at the pond near our house. They also will frequent our bird feeders.

This little bird is a sassy one with a cute crest. He is a Belted Kingfisher and lives nearby on Stolsteimer Creek and may also be found along the river's edge of the San Juan.

The next bird on deck is the American Avocet..They are a really interesting shore bird with a long curved bill..









Well the day is rapidly coming to an end, and I will say good night to all, and may the Good Lord Bless and Keep you..until I see you again hopefully this summer in Pagosa Country..

I will be posting the summer show schedule in my next post..should be fun in the sun at the Quality Inn by the lake..

Today was an in-day in the studio..skies in Pagosa were smokey from the forest fire....

I found a fabulous piece of Picture Jasper with images of the Grand Tetons and the look and feel of Wyoming and Montana where the buffalo roamed many moons ago and the Indian relied upon them for his total needs from food to shelter and clothing..

History has evolved, technology has become unbelievable and the old ways are rapidly vanishing..is is good?  or should we strive to preserve some of it?

I guess that is why I enjoy painting wildlife and using the stone for my canvas to depict what may be lost in the annals of history..

Life can get very interesting in our neighborhood as we live close to a canyon that is home to black bears and    their families. We have learned to live in co-existence with these highly intelligent animals who can be funny to observe but also they can be very intimidating and dangerous .

We have a great place to go to see the bears here in Pagosa..Rocky Mountain Wildlife Park where they have some bears that you can watch and enjoy and learn about their feeding habits, hibernation and  "bear life" in general.

This Picture Jasper was the perfect canvas for the bear in the tree. I did the painting from a photo I took at Rocky Mountain Wildlife Park.

Evening has arrived and time to take wrap for the day..tomorrow will come to quickly with new paintings to start and new adventures to challenge..

Good Night, God Bless and Keep you all..

Summertime in Colorado

It is early evening and the wind has laid down. The birds are at the feeders getting their last seeds before retiring in the pine tree that they call home.
Painting is going well and I have several new stone works of wildlife posted on facebook.

I have been feeding finch seeds and the American Golden Finch gave been quite entertaining.

With my little pond running, we are getting beautiful dragonflies and damsels circling around.

And of course, there is nothing more stunning, than the jewels God made in the hummingbirds.

My Columbines were exquisite this year and it is also the State Flower for Colorado.

Nothing like summertime in Colorado and tomorrow I will be off to the studio to finish a brown bear sitting in a tree..quite a familiar site here in Pagosa Country..Nite all...

INDIAN SUMMER IN COLORADO HIGH COUNTRY

Where did summer go..We had our first snow fall a week ago..gardens are harvested, jams and jellies are done and the freezer is full of good food for winter. We have 5 cords of wood to keep us warm when the snow returns.

I have had a busy summer painting new pieces with new stones to work on. The horses below are painted on Chrysocolla and were fun to do..I haven't had a horse for many years, but do miss the country life.

These sassy little Mountain Quayle are painted on a piece of Picture Jasper and were shippped to Washington, then sold at the Denver Trade Show. Mountain Quayle are neat little birds and will come into your yard if you have a good water supply.

The Elk is painted on a natural colored piece

of Brazilian Agate. We are seeing lots of elk these days as the early snow fall has put the herds on the move from the high country down to the valley areas, plus it is hunting season. Elk and deer we never tire of seeing in our neighborhoods in Pagosa Country.

Tomorrow will a new day for painting. I

will be working on a Dusky Grouse which I got a photo of when we were out cutting wood. They live in the timber area in the Rockies and are very elusive birds. There is no open hunting season on them. So this will be a new challenge.

I will also spend some time in cleaning out the garden area, harvesting what's left of the carrots and just enjoy my life . Fall is a good time to reflect on things of the Lord and the beauty he created in nature as the fall colors are brilliant this year. Nature is God's stress reliever..

Time will be spent to clean out the birdhouses and get the winter bird feeders ready as the Chickadees and Nuthatches are making their appearance at the one feeder we have up

now, along with some woodpeckers and Stellar Blue Jays. I have new blogs posted on our web at www.livingrelaxedlifestyles and new paintings at www.sylsechoesofnature.net.

This is a painting of a Blue Heron just lifting from the water in flight. The photo I worked from was taken by Bob Zeller in San Angelo Texas. We have herons here on a little pond about 3 blocks from where we live, but I never seem to have may camera with me at the right time.

Well bye for now, God bless and take care...Syl

Christmas Season in Pagosa Country

Merry Christmas from Pagosa Country..hard to believe tis the season already. We have a little snow, but not like last year. Actually we have been blessed with a fabulous Indian Summer and warm fall, which made up for our unseasonably cool summer. Gardens made but they were late..I was still picking tomatoes in October.

Posted here is a new painting of a bob cat on Amethyst Sage. I really enjoyed painting him as he just blends into the stone. I got to keep him around the studio for a few days before he embarked on his journey to Jackson Hole Wyoming.

This a new venture in my art portfolio..prints on my rock paintings. This piece featuring gray wolves was done on Chrysocolla. I photographed it, scanned in and cropped to fit into a 5"x7" mat, ready to frame. It retails for $15.00. I have a full line of prints on my http://www.etsy.com/yourshops/benja22. It has been a fun time creating this shop which I have titled Peace of the Rock Wildlife Prints..check it out.

Our other bus Living Relaxed Lifestyles is doing okay..takes lots of time and work to build an internet business..but also lots of challenges and fun along with it. I found a great line of bird feeders, bird houses and table top water fountains that we feature along with the Solus Sleep Aide..needless to say I indulged in some new bird feeder as we have lots of Black Capped Chickadees and Nuthatches as well as Stellar Jays. We really enjoy back yard birding and it is fun and relaxing. Here is a couple of new paintings on Chrysocolla of a chickadee and nuthatch..these are also available in prints..








Life is good in Pagosa Country as we have prepared for the winter months a head..Seed catalogs are already arriving and I know that as the snow blankets our landscape, life is growing and spring will arrive with new hope as will 2011 with its unknowns and doubts and fears..but remember to take action, look life squarely in the face and most of all look to the Lord for his game plan, not yours..He is the best CEO.

Take care and God Bless you all...

new site is www.reflectionsonstone.com

FALL IS IN THE AIR

Here are three new pieces. Have enjoyed painting these .

We have lots of ducks and geese on the wing since the weather has changed. Definite indicator that fall is here. We are being blessed with a marvelous Indian Summer. In fact gardens are still growing.

We have little blue birds that sometimes winter here.. and lots of wonderful fluttering chickadees which have become one of my favorite birds to feed.

I have update my profile, and stand corrected this evening by my Grandson Aaron who emailed me that I needed to change the number of grandchildren, and also great grandchildren.

Have a good evening...and God Bless...check out my new website www.reflectionsonstone.com and also www.livingrelaxedlifestyles.com. We have lots of new and innovative ways to live relaxed...