Acrylic, 30×40 on gallery wrap canvas

Another beautiful day in June, down by the river. Lots of windfalls about. New homes, shade and shelter for the river population. Decomposing starts. Not in a hurry, the fallen trees will return to the soil in about a hundred years but will be a source of food energy for a lot of wildlife along the way.

There were lots of Canada geese and mallard ducks about. Signs warning people not to feed but the birds don’t know that. Best image was a mother duck shepherding a couple of ducklings to join the crowd of moochers. Just had to be wary of the heavyweights in the crowd, the geese.

(If you were expecting to see some of the water foul, they are camera shy and a little downstream to the left, LOL)

For a better look, check out my Featured Pieces page

#spring, #river, #Rideau, #acrylicpainting, #landscapepainting, #painting, #ottawaart, #Ottawaartists, #613art

Warm in the sun, not quite the hot of summer but still nicer to be under the shade of the now mostly leafed trees.

I heard her before I saw her, a beautiful pileated woodpecker. A flash of red among the young green ground cover. A surprise on the ground like that. I stood a while watching as she bobbed her head up and down.

I have to remind myself to enjoy the moment instead of trying to catch that perfect shot. Patience is still something I have to work on. Predictably as I tried to switch to a telephoto lens, she flew off and called out with a mocking cry somewhere up in the trees, out of sight.

It only seemed fit, I paint her into the picture. It is her wood more than mine.

PS. I really can’t tell the difference whether it was a male or female, but I liked to think it was a female foraging for ants, beetle larvae and termites for her young.

For a better look, check out my Featured Pieces page.

#spring, #woods, #pileatedwoodpecker, #acrylicpainting, #landscapepainting, ottawaart, #ottawaartists, #613art