Thursday, May 29, 2014

Music and art inspiration...



omg!! What a difference a mic makes!!

Click here to listen to the newest audio blog where I introduce a new music group named "Sylvan Esso" and how music inspires artists!

Visit my audio blog page at racheldickson.com to learn more!

Leave a comment below and let me know what inspires you.


It's here!!!!

Taking the advice of a media friend (thank you Ron Haney!), I ordered a new studio mic...and it just arrived!!

Meet the techno-babble behind upcoming new audio recordings, the CAD U37.  Not sure I dig the gold color...but hey...it'll do.

Stay tuned for some cool sounds right outta the art/audio studio!

In the mean time, check out previous recordings by clicking here.

Peace out.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Downtown Toledo Art Walk time!

The fourth Thursday of May-September downtown Toledo gets ARTSY!
Thursday, May 22 from 6p-9p , the Toledo art walk is a must attend.
Be sure to put the Glass City Cafe on your "TO VISIT Tomorrow" evening list!

Click here to download a map of all the participating galleries and venues at Thursday's event!

The Glass City Cafe is located at 1107 Jackson, downtown Toledo.
Check em out online at www.classcitycafe.com or better yet, come down for a visit May 22.

Special thanks to Steve for including my artwork at their venue tomorrow as well as introducing local artists Trish Kohn, Danielle Hererra, Jill Posta/Sew Magician. Live music by Tim Oehlers and local vendors DecorWear and Black Swamp Metal Arts. Also offering a full menu and a sidewalk BBQ weather permitting.


SEE you there!!

Rachel

Saturday, May 17, 2014

not to continue to beat the drum but...

if the best television show of all time (Sunday Morning) does a story on it...then it at the very least rocks the "COOL CHART".

So check this out...aired May of 2013.

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/call-of-the-wild-spring-brings-out-birdwatchers/
(Biggest Week in American Birding, Northwest Ohio, 2013)

definitely WORTH a watch!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Biggest Week in American Birding, what is that?

It was actually rather accidental how I discovered this. Last fall while displaying and selling paintings at the Toledo Art Walk a gentleman who saw my bird paintings suggested that I attend "The Biggest Week in American Birding" and went on to tell me that we live in what's been deemed the Warbler Capital of the world!

What? Why had I never heard of this before? After researching this a bit it turns out, Northwest Ohio is smack in the middle of the flight path of migratory songbirds.  I had never even considered what might happen to all the songbirds we have around here in the Winter...they migrate south of course and return in the Spring!  So what is this "Biggest Week?"

The Biggest Week is organized by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, with support from co-hosts at Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center, Lake Erie Shores and Islands (Ottawa County and Erie County Visitor's Bureau, and Destination Toledo (Lucas County Visitor's Bureau).

Here's what the biggestweekinamericanbirding.com has to say about this phenomena...

Why come to Northwest Ohio in May?

"Because it is quite simply the best place to witness spring migration of songbirds anywhere in North America. The southern edge of Lake Erie acts as a barrier that the birds are reluctant to cross during migration. The birds tend to "pile up" in the woodlots surrounded by marshland on the lake's southern edge to rest and refuel before crossing the Lake. The timing of their arrival is early enough in spring that the trees have not leafed out, there are no bugs, and the birds are incredibly low and accessible. No such thing as "warbler neck" around here! We get HUGE numbers of birds, much like a fallout, only better! Fallouts occur when a weather event pushes birds down, and what birders find are the weary survivors. Here in NW Ohio, we get the same huge numbers of birds as you'd see in a fallout, but the birds are active and vibrant, and by the time they get to this latitude, the males are actively singing!"

Certainly sounded like an event I wanted to learn more about!
This year's event is taking place now through May 15th. Chris and I went to Maumee Bay State Park yesterday to check it out and is most definitely a hotspot for bird watchers and extremely educational too!

Next year's event is set for May 8-17, 2015.

Want to learn more about Northwest Ohio birds and the Biggest Week?
visit http://biggestweekinamericanbirding.com.

You can also download and view this year's Biggest Week visitor's guide by clicking here.

In the mean time, this knew found birding knowledge has inspired me to paint more warblers like the Prothonotory Warbler original shown here.

Want to flit about my site and see what birding art is currently available?
visit http://www.racheldickson.com/rachels_art.htm




Sunday, May 4, 2014

biggest week in American Birding...

Just so happens, that the biggest week in American Birding takes place just short of an hour's drive from where I live.  And...apparently...(who knew?) Northwest Ohio is the Warbler capital of the world.

Well then, I deemed it appropriate to paint some of these lil guys and gals.  Turns out Ohio is smack dab in the path of the migrational flight of these birds among others.

May 6-15, 2014 the "Biggest week in American Birding" takes place at Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon, Ohio.

Meanwhile, I've painted this lil fella, the "Prothonotary Warbler" on an ACEO card original. Measuring 2.5x3.5 inches on 140lb watercolor paper this piece is an ink and watercolor mixed media piece.

To learn more about this piece "Prothonotary Warbler" or others like it
click here.





To learn more about the biggest week in American Birding
click here.


Thursday, May 1, 2014

Nest building time...the American Robin.

If you're from anywhere in the Midwest...you'll know this bird.  The American Robin.

Most everyone knows this bird simply at "the Robin", however, if you do a search for it online you'll discover as I did that there is also a European Robin so apparently there's a need to differentiate.

So here's another of my attempts at ink and watercolor on 140lb watercolor paper cut to ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals) size (2.5 inches by 3.5 inches).

To learn more about this little piece of art or to see others like it click here.

In the meantime...happy creating!
Happy ART!

new audio posted.


Just uploaded the newest edition of audio....sounds of the red-winged blackbird.

Click here to listen.

Happy Creating!