White-crowned Sparrow revisted, Woodcut

I reprinted this block because I didnt like the previous two-block experiment.  I plan to hand paint this with watercolor in a week or so.  I only printed 9 so this edition will be very small.

Big Bluestem Moon, woodcut

On the drying rack to be painted next week.

Quiet Journeys

Photo journal of the last two days….hiking, kayaking, birding.

 

 

 

 

The inner workings of an abnormal brain

Sorry for the lack of art on this art blog!  I’ve been busting my buns on a few projects in the yard.  Today I completed my first cold frame for growing cold crops through the winter.  I also plan to start some Pinus nigra from seed.  I’ve been harvesting seeds since September as the cones ripened.  If all goes as planned I hope to plant at least a half-dozen new trees in my yard next year.  My goal is to attempt to grow a new species every year.  Succeed or fail it should be fun.  And, it’s all connected to my art in one way or another.  First of all I am a woodblock printmaker.  If I plan to use wood I should commit to making it sustainable.  Secondly, I intend to switch to all natural dyes and inks in the next few years.  This is going to require some serious work.  With the help of friends I intend to grow the plants that are used to make the natural pigments.  I’ll put off making my own paper for now….but it’s on my long-range master plan.  So there is a method to my madness in case you were wondering.

Paul Young's Cabin

Paul H. Young was a cane rod builder and fly-fishing pioneer from Detroit, MI. Trout Unlimited named the Detroit chapter after him. The Paul H. Young Chapter of Trout Unlimited is dedicated to helping sustain the fragile ecological balance which trout depend on. I was honored to have been given the opportunity to stay at his lodge last weekend, which is now called “Trafeh Lodge”.

Anyone who has ever been to the Au Sable knows its beauty. It truly is a fly-fisher’s paradise and deserves the name, “the holy water”. Paul and his wife Martha built the log cabin on the mainstream sometime in the early 1900′s. The soft light of the interior glows with knotty pine. The stone fireplace and living room was my favorite hangout. The sound of crackling wood fills the room. The smell of burning firewood and fine cigars drift through the air. The kitchen is spacious. The men all came together at the enormous dining room table for breakfast and dinner. “Doc”, the cook, served prime rib that rivaled any 5 star restaurant. The coffee was always hot. The wine was homemade and the perfect solution to warm the bones after a long wade down the river. The showers were hot. The beds were warm. The conversation was good.

Outside the lodge was just like any place in the northern Michigan woods, full of Pine, Birch, Aspen, Wild Cherry, Oak and Cedar. Who can argue that the finest music ever made comes from a cold trout stream? The bird feeder behind the cabin was the largest I’ve ever seen. Even the birds are treated to a feast at every meal. Chickadees, Nuthatches, bluejay and Juncos added to natures symphony.

It’s cast and blast season on the Au Sable.  Fly fish in the morning; bird hunt in the afternoon. But, I left my gun at home. Instead I cast streamers all day under a clear blue sky….which is not good streamer fishing weather. I didn’t complain. Who would? I also went fly fishing after dark under the moonlight. It was my very first attempt at wading the Au Sable at night. It was cold. I could see my breath…but not much else….only the shadows of trees in the night sky. It was a sensory experience like none other, casting blindfolded, feeling my way down river. The trout would not come out and play that night. I didn’t care. A hot fireplace and glass of wine was waiting for me at the cabin. The next day I floated down the South Branch in a 21′ Au Sable River drift boat. It was tricky to maneuver it through downed sweepers. The fishing was just as slow as the day before. But, I finally got to see the famous George Mason Chapel.

What a beautiful sight to behold. It is without a doubt the most beautiful Chapel I have ever seen. It is modest, simple, and sturdy and sufficiently provides a perfect perspective on God’s creation. It’s all I need. Give me the woods, Faith and George Mason‘s Chapel and I’m spiritually fulfilled.

A sincere thanks goes out to my fly fishing friend Sherm for taking me on this trip.  This winter I plan to create a woodcut for the lodge and Sherm.  It’s the least I can do.

Disconnecting

 I was riding my bike down the Kiwanis Rail Trail on my day off and noticed a few things.  The first thing I noticed was the beauty of Fall in Michigan. Then, as I rode along the trail I came across a few people, a jogger, then a walker, and another biker.  All of them were wired for sound.  Music is motivating.  I wont argue with that.  But, I personally enjoy disconnecting from technology temporarily and connecting with nature.  Perhaps it’s my infantile desire to pretend to be Max, king of the Wild Things!  Or maybe I’m just starting to learn that a good life doesn’t have anything to do with gadgets or technology?  Maybe I’m just starting to learn what freedom really is?  Henry David Thoreau said we all live lives of quiet desperation.  We live in debt.  Our homes are anchors.  Our cars are expensive and costly to maintain and operate.  But, in the woods or on the trail I am free.  I wish there were more rail trails like the Kiwanis Trail.  I consider the few alternatives to automotive transportation.  I wonder how I can ride my bike from my house to Heritage Park without getting run over by careless or impatient drivers.  I wonder how I can ride from my house to Hidden Lake Gardens without riding on the freeway?  Edward Abbey, author of Desert Solitaire, pointed out that our Parks are for everyone, but where does it say that they are for everyone in cars?  Who decided that Americans should not have an alternative to the automobile?  When did Americans become so afraid of the unknown?  When did we lose our spirit of adventure?  Who put corporate American in charge of my life?  My message to them is that I chose freedom.  I chose to turn 180 degrees and keep moving forward.  I choose to disconnect.  When I do my eyes and ears are filled with joy.  I see the golden leaves of the Sugar Maple, an acorn, a hickory nut, a stream, a mushroom on a tree.  I hear the faint whispers of the Cedar Waxwing, the chip of a chipmunk, leaves under my feet, the wind in the trees, a rare Field Sparrow.  I notice Crows chasing a Coopers Hawk and a Turkey Vulture circling ominously above.  And, all my stress and worries fall from my soul like leaves from a tree as Muir said they would.

Adopt a Stream Day

Today I will be near or in the Ives Road Fen (where these Silver Spotted Skippers were hanging out) searching for insects in the River Raisin watershed.  Why?  Here’s an excerpt from the River Raisin Watershed Council….

The River Raisin Watershed Council’s Adopt-A-Stream program consists of three events; Training Day, Stream Search and Bug I.D. Day.  Volunteers from all across the watershed work in teams to collect macroinvetebrates from twenty sites to determine the water quality of each site.  Macroinvertebrates are one of the best indicators of water quality as there are a variety of types of macroinvertebrates  that are tolerant, somewhat tolerant, sensitive and high sensitive to pollutants.

Two collectors wade into a stream and work with a special net to collect the insects.  Sorters are stationed along the bank and sift through the nets to extract the macroinvertebates and place them in jars for further analysis on Bug ID Day.  The Stream Captain directs the volunteers and ensures all tasks have been completed.

On Bug ID Day, experts work alongside volunteers to identify the macroinvetebrates to the family level.  Results are quantified and statistically analyzed to produce a report that ranks each site as poor, fair, good or excellent.  The report is forwarded to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.