#533 In the field: Brookgreen Gardens, con't . . . pelicans

Start this series with  #522,  April 16, 2014.  http://www.brookgreen.org/

http://www.brookgreenworkshops.com

The focus of this blog post is the Brown Pelican.

The Brown Pelican is a year-round resident of South Carolina and I experienced, photographed, 
and sketched the big bird at one of my favorite places in the Brookgreen Gardens area:  Murrell's Inlet.
Commonly found around fishing piers, I'm sure to see them when I enjoy seafood at one of the many 

restaurants along the Murrell's Inlet wharf.  I never dine there without a sketchbook and camera!

Below, are photos taken last month at Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina while teaching 
my yearly bird sculpture and anatomy workshop at Brookgreen Gardens.

The Brown Pelican is enormous, with a wingspan of up to 80 inches.  The pelicans on
 the Atlantic coast are usually smaller, however, than those on the Pacific or Texas coast.

Below, are drawings from the decks of my favorite Murrell's Inlet seafood restaurants along the wharf.  
Interestingly, the Brown Pelican dives for their food and North America's other pelican 
- the White Pelican - swim in a group and "herd" fish that they scoop up in their pouch.

I've created two larger than life-sized sculptures of pelicans.  Below, is "Las Brisas" which was 
commissioned by the R.W. Norton Museum in Shreveport, Louisiana.  
The Brown Pelican is the state bird of Louisiana.  Another casting of the fountain is scheduled 
to be installed this year in Little Rock, Arkansas in the wetlands area on the grounds 
of the Clinton Presidential Library along the Arkansas River.

The second large sculpture with the pelican as subject matter is "Artful Angler."

Below, are photos of the fountain.  Water emerges from the fish fount and 
is then recycled.  There is a casting installed at Pelican Lakes golf course 
in Colorado and was placed by Columbine Galleries of Loveland, Colorado.

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