I was fortunate enough to see a stork on the top of my neighbours pine tree one morning while I was writing on my balcony. Where I live in Germany, they are often seen, but rarely so close up as this one was that morning. After taking some reference photos, I painted it with the direct painting method, with no pencil guides as a challenge! I made several attempts at it, but this one was my favourite. I love all kinds of subjects from animals, botanicals, and landscapes, and enjoy a regular sketchbook practice to capture my ideas, explore techniques, and experiment with different materials. This as well as new works in all kinds of traditional mixed media can be seen on my website.

Sketchbook page. This was drawn in graphite on a separate day from my balcony of that same pine tree. I was experimenting with a variety of graphite pencils and mark making during that sketch which was fun and very mediative to do.