Keep doing work and it will get noticed sooner or later...

Great news! Wednesday afternoon I was notified that my work, The Aviator, was chosen for inclusion in the American Illustration 30 competition. If you remember, I had previously included this image and a description that it was done for Frank Cost, our Dean in the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at RIT.
     It really made my day. According to the notification, my work was one of 185 chosen out of over 7000 entries this year.
     I seldom work on projects I feel are worthy of submitting to Illustration competitions but I thought The Aviator had the lift to get off the ground, and it did.

I also want to let you know that I have given my web site a bit of a face lift. You can get to my site from the navigation bar above or just click here. This is based on a lot of new information I've been reading lately. It's surprising what a little activity can do to get people to look at my work.
      I've added quite a few works that many people have not seen in a long time, or maybe have never seen. There are two new categories including some of the work I've done for Educational projects and those done for Scientific/Medical projects as well. Over the last few weeks of work on this new iteration of my web site, I had the opportunity to look back over the past couple decades and discovered that I've done a huge pile of work for some really great clients. During the upcoming weeks I plan to add one more category for the Corporate work I've done -- be watching for it.
     So, I'd be real happy if you could take a look and let me know what you think.

Trout Live in Truly Amazing Places

I'm sorry for the delay in posting another entry on my blog but we have been very busy around Whitefish and Libby.
    
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of this week Sharon, Sara, Jay and myself took a short trip to the Philipsburg, MT area. It was an absolutely wonderful experience for me. I got my first chance to fish Rock Creek in an area about 25 miles from the town. The creek itself is considered one of Montana's Blue Ribbon streams, making it one of the best in the country!
     We headed south to Missoula and got on Interstate 90 east(If you take it far enough east you'll end up on the NYS Thruway) to Drummond, then south on US 10A to Philipsburg. At Philipsburg we turned onto Rock Creek Rd.(MT Rte 348) and traveled west for about 15 miles, until the pavement ended and the road came to a Y. We turned left at the Y onto Co Rd 102. The landscape seem a little barren and is rolling mountain terrain with many pines of different sorts. Once we reached the stream the landscape closed in but was very scenic.

Trout really do live in amazing places...

This rock wall drops to the stream which is behind the line of trees at the bottom of the picture.




     We were invited there by Sara's great friend, Shannon Ostrowski, whose family owns this beautiful cabin on the creek about 10 miles up the dirt road and a short walk from "Huffman's Hole" on the stream.

They also own these great little bunk houses for guest like us. Sara and Jay used the top cabin, Sharon and I were in the middle one and Shannon was in the bottom. There was plenty of space for all our gear and a nice comfortable bed. The cool mountain air was especially good for sleeping.

This picture shows a small portion of the trail leading to the stream. Shannon told us that at certain times of the year, Spring especially, the creek runs very high and overflows the banks. This is a small bridge for one of those overflows.

As I emerged from the trail through the woods, this is the sight I was greeted by. Not too shabby a scene to look at.

The 2 larger pictures show the views upstream and down. There were lots of opportunities to fish around the small channels entering the main stream. Most of my time was spent in the areas of the upper left picture. You can see the clarity of the water in the lower left picture, sparkling clear. Sharon caught me casting in the other picture above.

     In this section it is common to find Cutthroats, Rainbows, Cutbows (a hybrid) and Brown trout. The majority of my catch was the Brown Trout but I did land several Cutbows and a very colorful Cutthroat Trout. I used lots of different flies but I did best on a size 16 Elk Hair Caddis. Size 14 and 16 beadhead Hares Ears nymphs, beadhead Prince nymphs and San Juan worms worked well below the surface. I also got lots of short strikes on hopper patterns and Orange Stimys. I landed 15 to 20 fish during my fishing time and lost at least that number as well. The size ranged all the way from a whopping 4" up to 14". The best fish I caught was on the "Night Bite" with an Elk Hair Caddis. It was really just luck because at that time of day and low light conditions, you can't see your fly on the water. If you see a rise in the general area you think your fly is in you must strike and hope for the best. It was an 18" Brown Trout which was in full color. What a fish!
     The most unfortunate part of my fishing experience was that I came back with no pictures of the fish I caught. The stream is VERY slippery. As a result, I didn't want to take the chance of taking my camera out on the stream and then go for an unexpected swim.

We had a great time on Rock Creek and Shannon and her Grandparents were the most gracious of hosts. They really made our time there special and most memorable!

On our way back to Whitefish we made a quick stop in the town of Philipsburg at the most incredible candy shop called The Sweet Palace. If you can think of a type of candy they made it. I thought we were in the Montana branch of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Of course, we had to take home our share and buy Johnny a gigantic gummy snake, red licorice scotty dogs and a supply of multicolored candy dots.

Beauty in Very Small Packages

A couple days ago we went to Blankenship, again, to fish. What a surprise! About 5 miles out of Columbia Falls and doing about 70 (the speed limit in Montana IS 70mph), I happened to spot several clusters of Indian Paintbrush. I know, going that speed I should keep my eyes glued to the road. They were very close to a spring that is along side the road and spouts gallons of crystal clear water constantly. There were a few cars behind us so I decided to stop on the way back from fishing.
     I had to do this to take advantage of an unusual sight this year. We haven't seen many wildflowers yet. As a matter of fact, the previous evening, I read an article in the Daily Interlake at Kristen and George's house about that very issue. The thinking of experts is that because they had such a late, wet and cold spring this year the wildflowers are either late to bloom or will not bloom as prolifically as in past years. The article also mentioned that the Beargrass is not expected to make its usually showy appearance either because it was a banner year last season. Beargrass plants bloom approximately every 7 years, so we may have to wait awhile before we see it again, at least in the Whitefish area.
     So, I felt I had to take the inspiration of the small cluster of blossoms I did see and do another painting. We are going to Libby later today and may see more over there. I can only hope.
     More to come...

Watch Mom AND Your Step

It doesn't happen very often, but I was in the right place at the right time! Traffic was stopped for the never ending construction on Going to the Sun Road and this young mountain goat was standing on a cliff next us. It is shedding its winter coat. It's amazing how these creatures are able to move with such agility in an unforgiving environment. There are lots of these animal in Logan's Pass and surrounding areas. They seem fearless around the huge number of humans who invade their home every day during the summer months when the road is actually open.



     Being such a great sight and pose, I knew I had to do a drawing of this cooperative little creature. So, here it is.
     More to come... 

A Trip to Logan's Pass

 After getting rained out on Monday, Sharon, Sara and I returned to Glacier National Park July 20th. I took lots of photos, mostly of scenes that I've seen many times before. But, no matter how many times I visit, I am still awed and inspired by the phenomenal beauty of this place.

At the foot of Lake McDonald viewed from
Apgar Village looking to the northeast.

 About

5 miles

up Lake

McDonald

on the southeast shore.

Lake McDonald Lodge
     Insets include the dock with sightseeing boat on the lake, hanging baskets in front of the lodge and the classic "Red Jammers" which carry sightseers into the park.

The General Store on
the way out of the Lake
McDonald Lodge area
















On the way to Logan's Pass
     This is one of the spectacular vistas seen along Going to the Sun Road through the park. The lower road can be seen in the distance in the middle right of this picture, as it snakes around the mountain.

At Logan's Pass looking approximately east
     The yellow flower is the Glacier Lily. It is one of the first flowers to appear after the snow melts. It covers most of the high alpine fields right now. Other colors are appearing as well but not as dominant as this small blossom. The inset shows the specimen more clearly.

Pink Mountain Heath

This is another interesting plant that is showing tiny, colorful blossoms not yet in full blossom. The color combination in this early stage makes it appear almost black in the distance.

Ground Squirrel at Logan's Pass
   These tiny critters are always looking for a handout. They continually put on a show for humans visiting the area. This little guy was a very cooperative model but I don't think it appreciated our presence.

 

High alpine sparrow
     This little bird hopped back and forth from bare earth to snow and was not afraid of people. It stay near my feet for a long time looking for food. It's a bit larger than the more familiar English Sparrow. 

I haven't identified it yet.

These are a few of the sight from our trip up to Logan's Pass. We will be going again some time during the next 2 weeks to see how things have changed. The snow will melt, the flowers will bloom in different colors and the temperature will rise. I will post these sights later.
     Tomorrow, look for a drawing of a special little friend we saw...

So Many Sights...Not Enough Time!

So, this past week we drove to Libby to get my eyes checked and fitted for new glasses by my friend, Terry. I had a chance to fish the Kootenai and had GREAT luck. It's a really huge river. The first day I caught 15 rainbows all the way from a gigantic 4 inch frantic fighter to a most respectable 16 incher. The following day I landed 4 rainbows from 12" to 16". The most troubling part was that both times I was alone and unable to photograph the fish. Maybe next time someone will be along to do that for me.

 Good for me that there is wonderful visual information in front of my eyes every day. It's difficult to decide what to record first. I think my next few drawings and paintings will be of wildflowers in this part of the country. Almost everywhere I look, I see lots of flowers. In front of businesses, hanging from almost every porch or deck, I've seen all the flowers one might see at home in New York state.
     Along the highways, on trails and in all the fields I'm starting to see many of the beautiful wildflowers I don't see at home. On our regular walking path by the river we see lots of wild roses. Even though we have some varieties in New York, this is the subject of my latest painting.
     Yesterday Sharon and I went for a short drive to Glacier National Park. All the way from Apgar Village to Lake McDonald Lodge, along the edge of the road we saw many Indian Paintbrushes in full blossom. Tomorrow I hope to get some good photos of this very interesting flowering plant, and travel Going to the Sun Road up to Logan's Pass. There, I'll also be able to get photos and drawings of some of the high alpine flowers. The best part is taking the shuttle buses so I can actually see the sight along the road. In years past, it has always been a "white knuckles" drive with my eyes glued to the road ahead of me. There was never a good opportunity to sight see.

More to come...    

Getting Down To Serious Business...

Yesterday started out GREAT! Our daughter Sara stayed with us over the weekend and had Monday off too. We drove to Blankenship which is the area where the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Flathead river meet. The confluence forms the Southwest corner of Glacier National Park. It's one of my favorite places to fish near Whitefish because I can wade the area easily and there is also great parking. This is a prime area for float trips and fishing trips to take out. Upstream and down are away from the crowds and hold good numbers of cutthroat trout. They're not too big, but very cooperative.

    About a half dozen rafts and boats floated by during the time we fished. You get to see all sorts of people coming down the river. Some serious, some not so much. Most are just having a wonderful time full of fun. Three of the boats were loaded with fisherman who had just floated the North Fork. They looked serious! One kid did a great job of slapping the water with every cast. It looked like the guide was glad to take out just downstream from us. In another boat the guy in the back actually had a fish on, but I don't think he actually landed it. Too bad for them!

    Sara and I fished and Sharon knitted. Very enjoyable! The water is still VERY cold but I stepped in anyway. About an hour was enough to make my toes numb so I got out and let them warm up. I did this a couple times. But, this was enough time to get a bit of action from those sneaky little cutthroat trout. It takes some time to get my timing right so I missed a few rises to my flies. I started with a Prince Nymph and only got one hit. It was probably the tiniest trout I have seen there. It was so tiny that when I struck on the take, I pulled it totally out of the water. It must have been all of 3" long! That little guy got off immediately because of the slack that was left in my line. Too bad for me! Then I switched to an Elkhair Caddis. I made a couple casts and one took my ball of fuzz. This trout I actually landed and it turned out to be about 9". After a few more casts I switched flies again and tied on a Yellow Sally. I fished this one for quite a while getting many rises and a few half hearted takes. Finally a 10-11 incher finally took it with conviction and I landed this on as well. Both of those small fish were very good fighters and I had a lot of fun on my first outing on the river. In my drawing you can see an Elkhair Caddis fly in the lower right and a Yellow Sally (Parachute style) above, between the 2 rods.
     Tomorrow Sharon and I are going to Libby. I'll have an eye exam by my friend Terry who had to put me off for a week because of some lame excuse. He was going to Alaska to fish! I guess for a fisherman that is a pretty good excuse for not working! I hope my new glasses allow me to see my flies easier. I hope they work because the fish are bigger on the Kootenai river.
     More to come...