#581 In the Field: Birds of the North Country, con't . . .

This blog is part of a series of posts about my island studio and cabin located on Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada.
The series starts with #568, posted September 24 of this year.
There are many earlier posts about the cabin that can
be seen by going to the blog index.

The focus of this post is the Ruffed Grouse and is a continuation of the last post.  The Ruffed Grouse is one of
many birds who do not migrate or move out during the frigid winter of the Canadian North Country.
They can routinely be seen year around on the island where my cabin and studio is located.


Below, is a detail from an original watercolor-tinted etching of a Ruffed Grouse.

Ruffed Grouse are territorial and stakes claim on a territory based on water,  food supply and cover - including vertical cover from raptors such as owls.  Decidious trees such as birch are a food source and conifers are needed for roosting and protection from weather and predators.  All of these things define grouse country and define the island.

Ruffed Grouse are a game bird and just like White-tailed Deer and other territorial species,  it's important to move the animals in the fall to prevent inbreeding and weakening of the gene pool.  The birds will fly the short distance to
other islands or the mainland to breed with other birds and the deer will swim off the island when pursued as well.
 Every ethical hunter and sportsman knows and understands this age old way of nature and conservation.
The hardy winter residents survive in the North Country, multiply in the spring, and survive on this planet.

Below, good Ruffed Grouse hunting can be found on the mainland on old logging roads.
The Canadians call the bird partridge and we like to hunt them with a bird dog.
We  have a Brittany named Penny who is in her element in the fall hunting Ruffed Grouse.
there is nothing like being afield with a bird dog on a glorious autumn day!

At right, Penny is loaded, eager, and ready for the morning hunt.  Ethics abound in every sport and the most basic in hunting
is the concept of fair chase.  There is a great axiom that
states a hunter's best conservation tool is a well-trained
dog . . . hunters have an ethical obligation to retrieve
what is shot and we rely on Penny's nose and
determination to find downed birds in heavy cover.


Below, is an image of a dog who lives the life she was
bred to live . . . exhausted and content,
in front of a wood fire, after the hunt.

Every fall we harvest one or two Ruffed Grouse from the island and eat them for 

Canadian Thanksgiving which is the second Monday in October.   

Ruffed Grouse are excellent table fare and is one of 

the most sought after north woods game birds.

Below, is a good recipe for cooking Ruffed Grouse.  Being a non-migrant, the breast meat is white and
almost any chicken recipe can be used when cooking the bird.  One bird per person works for us.

       Dredge the grouse in flour, salt, and pepper.

       In a cast iron skillet, brown breasts and legs 

       and mushrooms in butter, bacon fat or oil.

       Add a prepared white sauce such as alfredo, 

       mushroom soup, etc.

       Cover, simmer until cooked but not dry 

       During the last few minutes of cooking, 

       add sour cream.

       Serve with wild rice, pasta, or potatoes,

       caesar salad and a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.

     

       Also, a tart side-sauce such as cranberry is

       good with this.

Below, I use the wings and tail as reference in my bird sculpture workshops.

Below, is a little still life painting of a Ruffed Grouse in progress.
The island studio has beautiful north light.

Much of the inspiration for my art is gleaned from the wildlife and wilderness experience that surrounds the studio.

Trish and I have closed the cabin for the season but the influence and memories of the past remains.

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information. 

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

#580 In the Field: Birds of the North Country, con't . . .

On September 24 of this year, beginning with post #568, I started
a series of posts describing time spent at my beloved studio and
cabin located on an island on Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada.
There are many earlier posts about the cabin as well and they all describe
inspiration derived from being immersed in a wilderness
environment.  Since the early 1960s, the Canadian
North Country has been and continues to be,
an important source for my art.

Please see the previous post for more information about
birds of the North Country.

The focus of this post is the Ruffed Grouse.

Although many birds migrate or move south out of the frozen North Country and Ontario's Lake of the Woods region, some stay throughout the winter:  Among those who remain are the Ruffed Grouse, the Gray Jay, northern owls
such as the Great Gray, Boreal, and the Snowy, winter finches such as Pine and Evening Grosbeak,
Northern Shrike, Bohemian Waxwing, some woodpeckers, ravens, chickadees, and others.

When the woods are locked in the grip of winter, birds must be active to stay alive and sunny days mean
frantic feeding activity.  Ruffed Grouse are hardy, know their habitat and rarely starve . . . they hunker
down in a snowbank for cover and shelter when the air temperature drops below zero.
Trapped air in the snow provides a warmer cover and protection from the biting wind.








Shown at left, is a taxidermy mount of a Ruffed Grouse
that resides in the island studio on Lake of the Woods.
I have a large collection of taxidermy mounts
of birds and mammals in both the Canada
and Wyoming studios.  Taxidermy can be a
great reference for the artist but does not
take the place of knowing the anatomy or
experiencing the critter in the field.








Below, is a drawing from my ever-present sketchbook of a Ruffed Grouse.

 I have been working on a sculpture of a pair of Ruffed Grouse in the Wyoming studio for several years.
The clay model originated as two separate block-in demonstrations for students in workshops and I
combined them into a pair.  Next summer, I plan to take the model to the Canada studio to work on,
hopefully finish, and take to mold.  There are so many Ruffed Grouse on the island and since
I believe an artist is truly inspired by their surroundings, the creative juices will flow!  


Below, are images of the Ruffed Grouse sculpture in progress . . . can't wait to take it to Canada!

More about Ruffed Grouse in next Sunday's post.

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information. 

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

#579 In the Field: Birds of the North Country, con't . . .

Please see the previous post for more information about this subject.
The focus of this post about North Country birds is the chickadee.
The upcoming series of blogs will spotlight birds who remain in Ontario's frozen
Lake of the Woods region during the long winter.

Trish and I have left the island studio and cabin in Canada for
the season and as winter approaches, my thoughts go there.   Everything will soon be sheathed in glittering snow and ice
and I envision sweeping stretches of frozen lake, a howling
wind, and the cabin buried deep in snow under the big white pines on the north point of the island.









 I remember the chickadees in the dense woods behind
the cabin and hope they see some sunny hours . . .
it is the birds I notice most when the seasons change.


Although many birds migrate or move south
out of the frozen Lake of the Woods region
in Ontario, some, like the chickadee stay
throughout the frigid cold winter.




Below, is a drawing from my sketchbook of the hardy little chickadee.

When blizzard winds blow, the little birds will find refuge and fluff their feathers to preserve body heat.
 In very bitter weather they will dive into a snowbank to get warm . . . the air in the snow makes a warmer cover.
Ice is the culprit: When a bird's wings are ice-laden, it cannot fly or forage for food.



Below, is a watercolor-tinted etching of a Boreal Chickadee.

Below, is a sculpture entitled, "Winter Birds".

Winterbirds
5"H 8"W 6"D


Both Black-capped and Boreal Chickadees can be found in Ontario's Lake of the Woods region.
The Black-capped is more widespread than the Boreal, is more colorful and has a shorter tail than the Boreal.

Below, is an image of an original etching entitled, "Winter Birds".

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information. 

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

#578 In the Field: Birds of the North Country

Our season in Canada is over and the island studio on
 Lake of the Woods is cold and dark now.  Like many of the birds
. . . we, too are headed south.

The cabin has been drained and closed up for the winter
and as we cross the Canadian border, I'm thinking about the
coming frigid weather that will soon envelope the North Country.

The cold weather came early this year yet there were sunny and mild fall days in October for crappie fishing and walking the logging roads in search of grouse . . .
on cold, blustery days we worked in the studio by the warmth of a birch fire.
Some years we've stayed into November until the shallow bays  start skimming with ice but the Wyoming studio is waiting and there's work to be done there.

Below, is an original watercolor- tinted etching entitled, "Down From Canada".
Also shown is a pair of etchings entitled, "Dabbling Duck Decoys and "Dving Duck Decoys".
These etchings, like so many of my wildlife etchings, were inspired by time spent in the North Country.

As the days shortened and became colder, many birds left . . . the pelicans and some shorebirds
headed south in September and the loons soon followed in October.  A few migrants remain but as the
lake freezes, they leave and search for open water, more moderate climate, and their eventual nesting area.
Geese, ducks, cormorants, gulls, terns, and a few other migrants have either left or soon will be on their way south.
Mergansers can be seen in the fall and among the last ducks to migrate are the hardy little Bufflehead and bluebills.

The distant pop of shotguns can be heard in the mornings and evenings
as hunters pick up lingering Mallards, Scaup (called bluebills), and Canada Geese.  

Below, is an image of an American White Pelican taken in September not far from our island
 before the beautiful birds started their journey south.

It is estimated that more than 15% of White Pelicans in the hemisphere nest on Lake of the Woods.

Below, a flotilla of mergansers as well as Canada Geese, and a resident loon with it's rich black
color changed to a seasonal dull gray, can routinely be seen off the point in front of the cabin during the fall.
Migrant species disappear slowly as their numbers trickle out with the coming cold weather.

Below, is an image of cormorants drying their wings with gulls close by.
Sketches from my ever-present sketchbook are also shown.

Three major biomes are in confluence in the Lake of the Woods region, resulting in a great diversity of bird life.
The thousands of uninhabited and remote islands offer great habitat to over
300 species of birds at one time of the year or another.

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information. 

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

#577 The studio in Canada: Trumpeter Swan, con't . . .

Please go to blog #575, posted October 19, 2014 for more information about the Trumpeter Swan sculpture.  Blog #575 focuses on field work and inspiration, #576 on bird anatomy.  
This post focuses on artistic considerations and
art technique in figurative sculpture.  
Making the swam mold will be discussed in a future blog.
Please go to the BLOG INDEX for 
information about bird anatomy.

The goal of the figurative artist is to create a work of art as opposed to a specimen of the subject.
While there are outstanding works of art out there that show every detail, particularly in wood carving,
the more the artist knows, the more that can be eliminated.

Soft, buttery clay lends itself to a more spontaneous modeling technique and indicating every feather
on the surface of the sculpture can interrupt the sweep of the wing, the feeling of lightness, lift, and flight.
Too much detail can simply freeze the wing without creating the sensation of movement.
While quickly executed and direct modeling can give life and vitality to the work, the sculptor must refrain
 from sloppy representation of form and surface,

Below, is an image of a Trumpeter Swan sculpture in progress.

Below, is a detail of the swan's lifted wing, I have exaggerated and suggested the placement of the underlying radius and ulna to indicate the bird's wing structure.  I paid special attention to the thickness of the wing where the humerus joins the forearm in order to convey to the viewer the internal structural strength needed to raise the enormous wings.
The elbow is the thickest part of the wing.

         Like most bird artists, I know every set of feathers ad every feather within the set and I know where they go:             The primaries, secondaries, tertials, alula, coverts, axillars, scapulars, etc. My approach is to perceive and present the wing as a solitary shape or form COMPRISED of these feather groups.  I'm careful not to add too much detail and arrest movement . . . typically, I simply suggest the different sets of feathers in their proper place.  More can be said, artistically, with large shapes and form than with any amount of detail and I constantly edit out detail and overstatement.

Below, is an image suggesting the forward thrust of the birds pectoral muscles and body as it lifts it's immense wings.
The bulge below the neck area indicates the crop and the pectorals are between the wings.

The figurative artist must always keep the subject's skeleton in mind . . .
 my dear friend and great animal artist, Bob Kuhn once said:  "If the artist knows the animal's anatomy,
 he can create a moose sitting cross-legged at a bar drinking a martini".

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information. 

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

#576 The studio in Canada: Trumpeter Swan sculpture, con't . . .

Please see the previous blog for more information regarding the Trumpeter Swan sculpture.

The focus of this blog post is bird anatomy.  An in-depth discussion about the anatomy of birds, flight, and wing
structure can be found by going to the BLOG INDEX and visiting previous posts about bird anatomy.  These posts are a wealth of information regarding birds and provide insight into bird anatomy feather groupings, aerodynamics, and more.


A bird's wing can be compared to the human arm as shown below, but is modified for flying.

Unlike humans, the wrist joint automatically bends when the elbow joint is bent
and the wrist joint straightens when the elbow joint is straightened.

Below,  much can be learned about how the wing joints articulate by moving
and manipulating a supermarket chicken's wing back and forth and up and down.
The photo below is looking down on the bird . . . the upper surface of the wing.
Note, the bird's elbow . . . this is the thickest part of the wing.
Compare the photo below with the drawing above.
The flap of skin between the wrist and the inboard end of the humerus area
prevents the wing from straightening out - thus tiring - the bird in flight.
This tendon supports the leading edge of the wing and is connected to the pectoral muscle.
The 10 primary flight feathers are attached to the bird's "hand".

The bird artist must understand bird anatomy, wing structure, and feather groups.
The creature is covered with feathers but the artist must know what is
going on underneath all the feathers in order to breath life into the art.
The sculptor must assist the viewer in understanding bird locomotion
by understanding how the joints articulate.


Below, is an image of a recently completed sculpture depicting a Trumpeter Swan.
Also shown, are drawings and photographs that were helpful in actualizing the work.

The drawing below is the underside of the bird's wing.
Note the tendon between the pectoral muscle and the wrist . . .
it supports the leading edge of the wing.

Below, note the bulge below the swans's neck . . . this is the crop and NOT the pectoral muscles.
Always locate the pectorals between the bird's wings for they are the engine that drives the wings.

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 upper right.

Blog, text, photos, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish
A source for bird anatomy images for this blog is "Manual of Ornithology" by Noble Proctor and Patrick Lynch and additional anatomical reference used can be found by going to the link Post #616
Also, "Zoobooks" are another excellent reference resource and have routinely been referred to while preparing this educational blog for students and artists.

#575 The studio in Canada: Trumpeter Swan sculpture

Eight years ago, I started a sculpture of a swan at the island studio on Lake of the Woods in Canada.  I finished the piece
this year and now there is an empty space where the clay
model sat during those years.  The mold was started two
weeks ago on the piece and now it is in a box waiting to be transported to Wyoming for the plaster mother-mold jacket.





I miss seeing it in it's familiar place, silhouetted by the
light in the east window.  I will also miss walking over
to it and perhaps tweaking a primary feather or
adjusting the turn of the graceful head.
Every year, as I left the island studio in
Canada, I would give it one last look . . .
and it was there in the window
waiting for me every summer.

Shown on left, is an image of the swan
taken a few years ago in it's beginning stage.



Below, is a photo of the swan in progress this summer as I made the commitment to complete it.

 While the studio in Canada is small and typically there are only three or four works going on at once, the Wyoming
studio is a large space and easily accommodates my working method of having many sculptures in progress at one time.
  Over fifty works are currently there in various stages of completion . . . some will never be completed and molded while some will be taken from a shelf after sitting many years and may be finished in a day or so.

 The reason for completing a previously started and then abandoned block-in is complex but usually has to do with inspiration, realization, or a learning experience about the individual species or design.   Perhaps a show deadline or a gallery request for the subject will encourage revisiting a piece . . . some are just not worthy of completing.   Also, I'll admit that the design stage - or block-in stage - is my favorite aspect of creating sculpture and many times, I'll simply put a started model aside until I get "jazzed" about finishing it . . . that is, if the idea was good in the first place!

Regarding the swan, inspiration was definitely a factor.  While visiting Yellowstone several times this year,
 I experienced the elegant Trumpeter Swan and, captivated by its beauty,  was "jazzed" to get to the island studio
in Canada and work on the sculpture!  When an artist is "jazzed", the work flows easily.

 Below, are images and drawings from recent trips from Yellowstone which is a little over two hours from my studio.
The Trumpeter is almost identical to, although smaller than the Tundra Swan which I had seen many times in Alaska.

Below, is another image of the Trumpeter Swan on the studio deck.
The model remained there
as the sun set and light faded . . . allowing study of the figure's silhouette.

I plan to resize and create a larger sculpture of the swan in the near future and waiting for me at the Wyoming studio are photos taken and generously loaned to me by friend and fellow artist Greg Beecham . . .
his paintings of swans are inspirational and are the finest I have ever seen.

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information. 

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