Draw a Bird - California Quail

I am in a group that draws or paints or sculpts a bird every month.  Draw a bird day is on the 8th, so I am a little early this month.  We choose our own birds.  This month I chose a California Quail.  They are so fat and I liked the coloring on the photo of this one.  The background is created by saran wrap on watercolor paint.  When it's dry, the saran wrap comes off and leaves an unpredictable pattern....but kind of leafy, in this case. 

I particularly enjoyed doing this painting because it brought back fun memories of my uncle John Davis.  He raised and protected the quails on his riverfront property in Anderson, California.  A good man!!!

Painting with Friends at the US Botanic Garden

I had a fun experience at the US Botanic Garden last Friday.  I've been busy since then, and only now am I posting it.  Several of the artists from Capitol Hill Art League gathered for a couple of hours of sketching and the orchids were amazing..as was everything else.  Karen Cohen organized it and also took this picture.  She is an amazing photographer and you can see more of her work at https://karencohen.photoshelter.com.   I can't get a better picture.  I did this watercolor sketch without pencil and sort of just fooled around with shapes.  It was fun to do it that way.  We plan to do it again...there's plenty of places in DC to enjoy.