653 Public Enemy Number One

Okay, maybe the title is just a little dramatic, but mention rabbits to my gardening friends and they turn crazed. My bachelor's buttons and liatrus didn't have a chance and my swiss chard and marigolds are chewed to stubs.

"653 Public Enemy Number One"
acrylic - 6x8 in
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/653-public-enemy-number-one/397881

600 Learning to Fly

I am excited and proud that this is my 600th daily painting in two years with Daily Paintworks. I never imagined how rewarding this experience woud be, but I have enjoyed every minute of it, meeting new DPW artists along the way, and certainly learning a lot I didn't know about painting.
Oh happy day!

As you may know from previous reports, my neighbors and I are all hooting with joy over the Great Horned Owl family in a nearby willow tree. I can't seem to get enough of this experience, so there was no question as to what my 600th subject would be. We have been watching this family grow since January, now with two babies. I took the photo of this owlet on the day when we first saw the chicks moving about the branches, spreading their wings for balance, and maybe even flying a little. To see these beautiful creatures with their Mama is such an awesome experience---she never takes her eyes off of them, each day giving them more independence, all with a motherly nurturing we share. She calls them to come for breakfast and dinner and it reminds the human mother observers of the days when we called our little ones down to eat, only we weren't serving rabbits. Tonight's crowd of owl-groupies neared 20 people, and all agree it will be very sad to see them move on, although we know that's the way it works. "hoo ooo, ca CHOO"

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/600-learning-to-fly/371230

593 Great Horned Owlet

I have so much on my mind today. I painted up a storm, but this is what I am most proud of. As mentioned before, we have a Great Horned Owl family with two babies in our neighborhood, and I can't visit them enough. I am learning so much about these magnificent creatures and have such a respect for Mother Nature. We live in a fairly urban area with houses very close together not far from Lake Michigan, but we have more than our share of wildlife. On Easter Sunday, we had two giant turkeys in our front yard. We have had coyotes visit as well as deer. (That combination did not go well.) Last year, we had baby racoons on our patio. But the owls....they have captured the hearts of many, including mine. We are waiting for them to fledge, which will be a huge community event. We are hoping they hang around the neighborhood to keep the rabbit population down.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/593-great-horned-owlet/369281

583 New Mama

We have a new family in our neighborhood and I am over the moon smitten by them. I visit them many times each day and take photos with my 20x zoom lensed camera. Mom and Dad have two or three kids. They are Great Horned Owls and the babies have just recently become visible. The babies are SO adorable---like little puffs of cotton with perfectly round eyes and little hooked beaks. Did you know that what look like ears are not really ears at all? (I hope I got that correct.) We find feathers, squirrel tails and tufts of fur throughout the neighborhood, and everyone is hoping they keep the rabbit population at bay this summer.

372 Peacock Feather

Although I am enjoying painting with watercolors, I don't think it will take the place of my acrylics. I have been experimenting and "playing" with different products. This painting has a hint of metallic water color and it glistens in just the right places. Unfortunately, it is so subtle that it doesn't show up in the photograph.