"Watching"

Nature is made of many parts and one part to which I resonate are leafless trees. Bare trees don't hide anything. They show their true essence.

Red-tailed hawks seem to prefer to perch on bare trees. Seeing the majestic hawk soaring in the skies and then at rest in a big tree is powerful.

While driving one day I saw a hawk land in a tree in an area that was being developed into a subdivision. I watched the hawk, set up my tripod, and snapped three photos. I then walked up to the tree and made a few notes about the bark, the color, texture, and smell. I thanked the tree for growing to be a part of my artwork and also mentioned that I would do my best to reproduce it with colored pencils. The photos were developed and I went back to the sight to take a better look at the tree and its bark but it was no longer there. The land developers had removed it. The artwork is dedicated to that special tree. Though the tree is gone it will forever remain alive.