#719 "Messenger of the Northwest"

Raven - "Messenger of the Northwest"

24"H 19"W 10"D

Edition 25

6,600

The Raven is considered to be the messenger between the living and the spirit 

world by many Pacific Northwest Indian tribes.  The Haida believed that Raven, 

creator of the world, brought forth light, life and order and that nothing could 

exist without Raven.  The sacred bird is honored in art and on totem poles 

reflecting the tales and mysticism that have developed around it.  

Some tribes believe that Raven teaches you to understand 

the language of animals and if Raven comes into your life, 

expect magic.  With Raven, human and animal spirits 

intermingle and become as one.  

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#548 Classic Salmon Flies

Since the mid-18th century the art of tying trout and salmon flies has developed into a sublime and celebrated art form.  Years ago a fishing buddy and friend from Maine gave me six classic double-hooked salmon flies and I was
captivated by their delicate beauty.  I refer to the six patterns I was given as "classic" because they
define the traditional and authoritative designs of all time. 

 The year was 1980 and my medium of choice was original intaglio printmaking using the bitten plate with occasional watercolor tint.  I created an etching of the classic salmon flies as well as individual etchings of each of the six classic patterns.  If ever the use of watercolor enhancement was appropriate for an etching,  the use of color told the story with the salmon flies.  Also, I used an exquisite French Rives buff rag paper and sepia ink which had become an identifiable trademark for my printmaking by 1980.  The sepia ink and plate tone presented an earth tone which blended well
with the transparent watercolor application - much like an underpainting.
The flies were drawn onto the plate actual size and the etchings are shown below.

Silver Doctor

Green Highlander

Jock Scott

Dusty Miller

Black Dose

Durham Ranger

Below, is an image of an etching depicting a hooked salmon. . . appropriately titled,  "Hooked!"

Below, is a photo of Trish with a Pink Salmon - also known as a "Humpy" -  caught on a spoon while casting in
salt water off Morris Reef in Southeast Alaska.  Although I've caught lots of salmon in Alaska over the
years - my favorites are kings and silvers - I've never caught one with a fly . . . there's still time!
By the way, fishing for salmon in the Pacific is MUCH different than fishing for them in the
Atlantic and fishing for salmon in saltwater is different than fishing in brackish or freshwater.

To learn more about the subjects go to the links below.

For a complete list of the blog index go to the Index Page and
type the subject in the Search This Blog link on the right.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#467 In the field: Yellowstone, con't . . .

While in Yellowstone recently, we saw many different animal species including the Grizzly.

Years ago,  it was fairly uncommon to see them . . . but we see them almost every visit now. 

We live less than three hours southeast of the park and griz are routinely seen now in places we hike and fish.
We're very cautious in these areas, hike with a bell and bear spray, and there are some places close to home that we simply don't venture into now . . .  Grizzly continue to move into our section of the Wind River Range south of Yellowstone.

Below, while on our recent Yellowstone field trip,  I took this shot in the Hayden Valley as we spotted a griz  foraging and crossing a distant meadow.  We moved on as he appeared to be moving our way.

The  Grizzly is one of my favorite subjects and I've experienced the bear not only in Yellowstone,
but on the many trips I've taken to Alaska over the years.

Below, are images of  Grizzly I photographed thirty three years ago on my first trip to Alaska.  

I was on Kodiak Island - where the griz is known as the Brown Bear -  and back then,
I used a Pentax 35 mm, and shot a lot of black and white.

Like most artists, I've always used the camera in conjunction with my sketchbook.

During the '70s, my primary interest was etching and original printmaking.

Below, is a small portfolio of etchings and sculpture depicting the splendid animal:  Grizzly!

Kodiak Moment

Kodiak Moment

Power Hungry



On the Rocks

Chum Run Monument

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott

#334 Noatak River, Alaska, con't . . .

During our Noatak “impromptu bird anatomy workshop” I described the four basic bird wing shapes illustrated below, see post #333, Oct. 26.  Understanding that all birds fall into a semblance of one of the four basic shapes helps the viewer establish relative proportions and identify the bird.

I will be teaching a Bird Sculpture and Anatomy
Workshop at Scottsdale Artist School, 
www.scottsdaleartschool.org/ on January 21-25, 2013 and at Brookgreen Gardens rsalmon@brookgreen.org on April 15-17.  Beginners and especially painters who have never sculpted are welcome.

Below, drawings from my sketchbook journal: Top, workshop data; middle, wing shapes; bottom, Tern sketch

There are four basic wing shapes and all birds fall  into a semblance of one of the four configurations. 

The size and shape of wings give clues to how the bird lives.

1.  Long and wide wings are used by soaring birds

     such as hawks, eagles, and ravens.  A wing is

     considered long when it exceeds the length of

     the bird's body.

   

2.  Narrow and pointed wings are used by fast

     flying birds such as swallows, swifts, and many

     migratory birds such as ducks and geese.

3.  Long and narrow wings are used by gliding

     birds such as albatrosses, gulls, fulmars,

     shearwaters, and terns.

4.  Wide and rounded wings are used for short,

     fast and quick-escape flight birds such as

     grouse, pheasants, pigeons, and owls.

#333 Noatak River, Alaska, con't . . .

One memorable day on the Noatak River canoe expedition - see post #332, Oct. 22 . . . howling headwinds and pelting rain made travel impossible; our group huddled in the cook tent, drinking hot coffee and tea; some of us working on our journals, reading, or painting.

One of our group members, Bob Hansen, an accomplished musician, (as well as an expert paddler) had brought his guitar on the trip.  What a delight to listen to this incredible entertainer in the wilds of Alaska as the weather kept us together on a blustery, wet day!

On another terrible weather day, I was asked to give an impromptu bird anatomy workshop to captive "students" in the cook tent . . . I explained the four basic wing shapes which helped identify the multitude of birds we encountered on the expedition.  A good, productive time was had by all . . . great memories!

Below, is a drawing from my sketchbook journal:

#332 In the field: Noatak River, Alaska, con't . . .

The Noatak River watershed lies in the northwestern Brooks Range and is the largest mountain-ringed river basin in America.  Start with blog post #329, Oct. 16, for more information about this wilderness canoe expedition in Alaska.

The breeding season for birds in the Arctic is brief, but the abundance of food makes the challenge worthwhile.  All five species of loons breed in the Arctic:
the Red-throated, Yellow-billed, Common, Pacific, and the closely related Arctic Loon . . . We saw them all.

Below, is a field study of an Arctic Loon from my sketchbook journal.

Above, sunset on the Noatak

Above, approaching the Noatak River headwaters

#331 In the field: Noatak River, Alaska, con't . . .

 Gary McGuffin photographing a muskox 

Over the years, I've been on many wilderness field and hunting expeditions.  My most profound outdoor experience was the Noatak River canoe trip this summer.  See blog post #330, Oct. 16.  Having been to Alaska over 20 times, this was my first undertaking in the Arctic.

The Noatak River basin is a spectacular, untouched region, containing no roads or trails, and is protected in it's wild and natural state.  Many species of mammals were encountered on the adventure; including caribou, grizzly bear, Dall sheep, wolf, fox, muskox, and more.

Approximately 100 species of birds are arctic breeders:  They are migrants rather than permanent residents and we saw many of them.  Only 11 species are capable of living in the Arctic all the year round: gyrfalcon, raven, black guitlemot, redpole, rock and willow ptarmigans, Ross's and ivory gulls, dovekie, thick-billed murre, and snowy owl.

Below, is a field study of a Snowy Owl from my sketchbook journal.

A nice day along the Noatak

For additional information about this exciting wilderness expedition, read Gary McGuffin's reports via satellite phone during the trip: http://www.sootoday.com/content/news/details.asp?c=46085 

#330 In the field: Noatak River, Alaska, con't.

There were days on the Noatak River canoe expedition - see blog post #329 Oct. 16 -
when the wind was so blustery and the weather was so cold and adverse that we simply had to hunker down in our tents . . .  reading, writing in our journals, or sketching and painting.

The Western Arctic caribou herd, numbering close to 500,000 animals, migrates to and from calving grounds through the broad expanse of arctic habitat along the Noatak.  We encountered many caribou on the tundra and crossing the river.

Below, is a caribou study from my sketchbook journal, painted in the tent during a windy day on the Noatak!

Sunrise along the Noatak

#329 In the field: Noatak River, Alaska

Field study has dominated much of my time this summer and fall.  August and part of September were spent paddling the Noatak River, located entirely above the arctic circle, north of the Brooks Range in Alaska. See blog post #314, September 18.

The Noatak flows 460 miles from its headwaters on Mount Igikpak to the Arctic Ocean, spreading into a delta at Kotzebue sound.  The entire region is in its wild and natural state as the river winds through mountains, forests, and tundra.  We encountered no people until the last week of the trip when we met a delightful Inupiat native who hailed us from the river's edge.

The expedition was led by canoe expert and professional photographer, Gary McGuffin and artist, Rob Mullen.  Six of us spent five weeks paddling the river's entire 460 mile length . . . sketching, painting, and photographing the area's birds and animals.


Top right, me, Bob Hansen, Linda Besse, and Rob.  Bottom right, Trish and Gary.

Below, is a field study of a Tundra Swan from my sketch book journal.

#314 In the field: Arctic Alaska Art & Adventure

Trish and I just returned from a month long wilderness canoe art expedition on the Noatak River in the western
Brooks Range, Alaska.  The focus of the 460 mile river paddle was experiencing the birds, animals, and landscape
in the remote area.  The images are stunning!   Gary McGuffin, renowned paddling expert and professional photographer from Canada led the trip and will supply some of the photos.  We are compiling a series of blogs about our exciting adventure which will be posted soon.

Approaching the Noatak River's headwaters, August 2012 

Photo by Sandy Scott

#273 In the field: Arctic Alaska Art & Adventure

I've been invited to participate in an artist canoe expedition on the Noatak River in the Western Brooks Range, Alaska. Trish and I will spend the month of August on the first of two Alaskan artistic adventures.  The 419 mile river's course
is north of the Arctic Circle and empties into Kotzebue Sound.

There's access to expedition real-time tracking  . . . depending day to day on satellite signal quality.  To learn more about the project go to this link:

http//www.kickstarter.com/projects/1351617701/arctic-alaska-art-and-adventure

This photo taken by Robert Stein III, south of the town of Noatak near the mouth of the river.  

This photo is from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page