If you’ve even considered attending the annual Pymatuning Eagle Weekend this year, stop considering and start doing. Spots in the wildly popular program at Pymatuning State Park go quickly. The events run March 23-25 at the park in Crawford County. You’ll get a lesson on the history of eagles in Pennsylvania, a raptor identification course, [...]

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North East native Chris Bosak runs an emerging weekly radio show, Bird Calls Radio, will interview John Fitzpatrick, executive director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Feb. 12 from 1-2 p.m. Fitzpatrick will talk at length about the upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count. Listen live or check out archived shows. And check out Chris’ birding [...]

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Did you know that male Dark-eyed Junco’s are darker than the females. I did struggle a bit with this one because of the dark feathers. I let it sit overnight so it would be easier to see what I needed to do to improve it. I had it to dark and flat so…

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This deal is for the birds — and those of you who feed them. Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop in Millcreek Township is having a sale on bird food and feeders this month. Specialty bird food is buy four, get one free, according to an e-mail from the store at 3330 W. 26th St. You [...]

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Several have asked how I de-emboss around my mini art work so here is my attempt to show you how. First of all I call it de-emboss because I am pushing the image back rather than forward. To me embossing means pushing a design forward.  So If yo…

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UPDATE: I am pleased to announce that the White-throated Sparrow has SOLD!
I am having fun with the new mini art!  Amazing what you can do in a small space. My first mini original of the Tufted Titmouse sold. So here is my second creation and …

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I have been wanting for some time now to work on small pieces of art in between larger pieces and other work that take me away from painting. I also wanted the work to be affordable and a nice way for the buyer to frame easily.

Taking a few sheets …

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I am really excited about getting back into teaching workshops again. Last fall I did a paste paper workshop at the North East Arts Council and now for this Winter going into Spring I have three workshops lined up. So if you are local and are intereste…

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Sunday the sun was out and Presque Isle was beckoning to me. To much time has passed since I last took my camera with me and wondered the trails on my own deep in my thoughts and watching for winter birds. Since it had snowed the day before I stayed …

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Camera Stuff: Date Taken: August 20, 2011Camera: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTF-stop: f/6.3Exposure time: 1/320 secISO Speed: ISO-800Focal Length: 270 mmBird Stuff: This is Lady Hawk, she is a red tailed hawk and an education bird for Tamarack Wildlife Re…

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Northwestern Pennsylvania offers an amazing array of habitats in which to watch birds year-round. Erie National Wildlife Refuge, Roderick Wildlife Reserve, Pymatuning State Park and other areas all are categorized as Important Bird Areas by the Audubon Society, and no area is more important in the region than Presque Isle State Park. From migrating warblers [...]

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Erie’s Christmas Bird Count participants reported seeing 11,869 birds and 71 species during the annual count Dec. 17.    

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The U.S. Postal Service has taken a beating recently, financially and from customers. But you have to admire some of the stamps that will be released in 2012. The five-stamp Birds of Prey series features the northern goshawk, peregrine falcon, golden eagle, osprey, and northern harrier. From the USPS: “Illustrator Robert Giusti worked with art [...]

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I had to go all the way to Mount Rainier National Park to find my bird of the year, bobbing away atop a rock being washed by runoff from high atop the mountain.

Here’s another American Dipper doing its thing:

What’s your bird of the year?

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Break out your binoculars and checklist for the Audubon Society’s 112th annual Christmas Bird Count Dec. 14 through Jan. 5. Counts aren’t random; they occur in count circles of specific geographical areas. Each circle is led by a compiler. You can join an organized count or, if your home is within a circle boundary, you [...]

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I am so excited! I created my first Etsy treasury. Sound silly? But it was fun exploring and finding new treasures.  Check it out.

Enjoy,
Toni

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‘Empty Nest’ 10 x 20 inches Watercolor on Canvas

On many of my walks at Presque Isle State Park I was able to witness a
Yellow Warbler dipping in and out of some Japanese Honey Suckle next to
the path. Carefully I pushed aside the leaves and foun…

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Are you participating? If not then my blog is a good place to start collecting birds. Just click on one of the birds you see flying around and click collect.

I love seeing these little ones fluttering around and wish I could keep them for awhile but…

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This Great Horned Owl is part of the traveling education birds of Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Saegertown, Pa. His (I’m not sure he is male, but I think he is) name is Ick-a-Bobette.Tamarack specializes in the rescue, treatm…

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The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey weighing from 1.5 to 4 pounds and measuring 18 to 26 inches in length, with a wingspan from 43 to 57 inches. The Red-tailed Hawk displays sexual dimorphism in size, with females averaging about 25% heavier than mal…

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The Peregrine Falcon is a widespread bird of prey. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and moustache. The Peregrine is renowned for its speed, reaching more than 202 mph during its characterist…

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Five things I love that start with the letter B…1) Breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day, afterall. I feel like I could eat breakfast for any meal of the day. What’s not to love?! I love eggs. I love yogurt. I love fruit. I love waffles…

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will be coming soon to my blog and my web site. Actually more to my web site. Since Apple will no longer be supporting web service I need to move my site. Between working on a commission (below) and other end of summer garden to do lists I have been sl…

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WOP  no title yet.

… and responding to spontaneity. I’ve been having this vague image popping into my head for some time now. It has never been complete in my vision but yet desperate to come out. I purchased this 16 x 20 gallery wrap canvas …

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 When my friend Julie asked me to letter a favorite song that was meaningful to her and her nephew it posed a problem. What? How could I even think that! You see her nephew had just graduated from high school and was moving to Hawaii to study O…

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Barn Swallows

The Barn Swallows are finished and ready for the exhibit coming up at the Stonewall Gallery. But I had to do a little fix first. Here is where you are going to love the new DS Watercolor Ground. If you loose  to much of your white…

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 The other day I was starting to feel as if my work did not belong in the art group I belong to where I live. Most of the members are focused on the abstract, and work large. I mentioned this to my husband and as my biggest supporter he made me …

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Finally you say! Yes I’m done with Letters to Chloe Series. Finished number 4 last week and they are all framed and waiting to be hung in a show opening the end of July. The NPAA Bienniel Exhibit opens July 28th.

For this last piece in this series I…

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Letters & Lace

Giclee Print in my Etsy Shop

I am excited to offer four new prints in my Etsy Shop. These four
originals were done for the NPAA Scholarship Event at the end of June.
Members from this art group created original works on 8 x 1…

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Song in my Heart – 8 x 10 mixed media on canvas
Don’t you just feel like singing when you see this!  I hope so. This is the third piece for the scholarship event coming up. I have one more mixed media piece to do yet and a watercolor piece.&nbsp…

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