tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:29:57 +0000Charles RiverSouth Natick DamwinterSouth Naticksketchbookdrawingcolored pencilmallardLake WabangeesespringGreat Blue HeronheronBroadmoorElm BankbirdsmallardssummerduckssketchPleasant Street bridgebridgeduckgreenhouseCanada gooseinksnowarchforesticerainswanwaterMassachusettsWellesleyautumnbluedamillustrationislandprintempsWellesley CollegeRobdbirdconté pencilcormorantfishgreenhiverpine treereflectionsswirlylandBostonPrismacolorbaby duckcharcoalducklingsetéfloodfrogmorningnaturenature studyplantsreligionrobinsandpipersunsetMaineRob Dunlaveyart materialsgoosehigh waterhunnewell pinetumicicleslow waterorchidpencil drawingphilosophyripplestopiaryturtlewatercolorAdirondack ParkArtCommon MerganserLittle Green HeronNew YearPaolo CantonPointy PeopleRangeleyRhode IslandSeptemberStudent's IslandThoreauTopipittoriacceptancebald eaglebird of paradisebirds.foxbirthdaybotanycanardcatschalkchildren's bookchurchdessindoodleduskemotionerosionfarmfish ladderfishingflowergardengraphitelandscapeletterlandmbirameditationmuskratnightnuitraccoonriverroostersacred heart churchseasonssparrowsquirrelswallowswifttreesweatherweedswood duck2012201320159-11A la recherche du temps perduA.N. WilsonAdventAnnie DillardArmeniaArmenian GenocideArnold ArboretumBastille DayBenoit GuillaumeBernard LeachBethel MaineBoston Marathon 2013Breakfast of ChampionsBrian BoydBrown troutCDGCGCanada LakeCascoCharlie HebdoChris BergeronChristmasCity HallDanteDante in LoveDavid HockneyDemeterDer WegweiserDerek ParfitDryocopusEasterEcho BridgeEgyptEvolutionFather's DayFern Hill FarmFictionFicus lyatraFranceFranz SchubertHemlock GorgeHooded MerganserHurricane IreneHurricane SandyImpressionismIn Search of Lost TimeInktoberIslamJFKJackson PollockJulia WaltersKennedyKenzanKenzan and His TraditionKitty CrowtherKlaus MirbachKurt VonnegutLa QuintaLargemouth bassMFAMassachusetts Fire AcademyMattottiMetrowest Daily NewsMooselookmeguntic LakeMusaMustard Seed ManualNapatree PointNaples MaineNarragansett BayNatickNew England CottontailOrr's IslandOver In The WetlandsPersephonePhillips BrooksPileated WoodpeckerPortoProustRoald DahlSacred HeartSeuratSt. Francis of AssisiStrelleziaSwannThanksgivingThe MinpinsTimeTrinity ChurchWaban ArchesWatch HillWinterreiseZenabsenceabstract sculpturealligatorarchitectureartistbaby birdbananabarkbed breakfastbeechbethlehembike tripbiologyblackblackbirdbleueblizzardblue red. botanyboatsbroadleaf arrowheadbrownbugbullfrogbunnyburnt siennacactuscaniculecarcarscattailcattleyacedar treechickenclimate changecoffeecoffeepotscoldcontrolcottontailcowcoyotecrayoncreeping charliecrystalsdeathdeerdemi-saisondiarydisciplinedoedownstreamdrawgerdriftwooddrizzledroughtdrudgeryeagleecologyeconomyeeeeggeliot churchexhibitexploitationfigflipppedflockflowersflycatcherfogfoliageforetfountainfungusfôretgeometricgeraniumgill over the groundglobal warminggoatgracklehawkheat wavehikehoarfrosthouse plantsibisinsectinternetinterviewislamic extremistsiwinterjourneyjoyla nuitlady slipperloglongingmallowmannamemorialmemoriesmergansermigrationmilfoilmindfulnessmiraclesmisusemoonmushroomnational serviceneigenestnor'easteroakoceanoiseauopossumoriolepastelpatiencepeacepencilplaneplumbagopoetrypoissonpoisson d'orpomegranatepondpublic artpuddlepurplerabbitrabbitsrealityreasonredroadkillrobinsrootsruinsailboatssea gullseagullseascapeseeingsepiasexshakespeareshariashellshrubsketchingskunk cabbagesnakesocietysolsonnet 2soundspatterdockspidersprawlstarsstill lifestone wallstreamstudiosunsunlightsupermoontall shiptanglethe artist's lifetowntrackstrouttwo-colorvacationvertvideovineviolencevioletswaitingwalkwalnutwarblerwater snakewaterfowlwavesweekendwetlandwhimsicalwhite noisewildlife artwillowwindowwireswishingwoodpeckeryellowétéan illustrator's sketch journal of nature observations and landscapeshttp://robd-observations.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)Blogger555125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-3662197701611489811Sun, 24 May 2026 10:46:16 +00002026-05-24T06:46:16.436-04:00 05-22-26-rabbit05-23-26-rabbits05-06-26-rabbit05-14-26-rabbithttp://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2026/05/spring-rabbits.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-6166311000695446020Mon, 11 May 2026 21:17:48 +00002026-05-11T17:17:48.172-04:00 I've collected all my 2025 nature observation drawings into four quarterly books plus a summary volume that includes personal reflections on things I saw and things we (Americans primarily) all experienced in the last year. Here are some previews and ordering information.Observations 2025Order hereprices range: $14-20http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2026/05/2025-observations-books-for-sale.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-2208723994014079974Wed, 22 Apr 2026 21:28:00 +00002026-04-22T17:37:01.492-04:00 I remember the first Earth Day. We did a river clean up in my town. Seems like we've made very little progress as a species since then. Slow down and commune with Nature. If nothing else you'll glimpse a few moments of actually being part of something bigger and more generous than human nature.http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2026/04/earth-day-2026.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-6656692051116830113Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:16:00 +00002026-04-18T20:16:28.365-04:0004-16-26-merganser02pastel, ink04-17-26-woodpeckerpastel, ink, crayon04-11-26-gracklesink04-06-26-robins03ink04-06-26-cattailsink, pastel, crayon http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2026/04/sings-of-spring.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-6493089589252589151Fri, 03 Apr 2026 19:02:00 +00002026-04-03T15:02:14.456-04:00 2014: The river was over the stone walls(04-03-14-flood)2016: it must have been raining(04-03-16-geese)2017: The river was flooded again(04-03-17-island)2023: Returning grackles(04-03-23-grackles)2024: April is for grackles(04-03-24-grackle01)2025: An early great blue heron(04-03-25-heron)2026: only one mallard in a swiftly flowing river(04-03-26-duck)http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-3rd.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-746486716646702822Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:58:00 +00002026-03-26T06:58:33.416-04:0003-22-26-turkeys03-20-26-grackle03-14-26-broadmoor0103-04-26-geese0203-25-26-island03-03-26-geese02http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2026/03/recent-ink.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-388937798518036083Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:43:00 +00002026-03-13T11:43:27.272-04:00I was surprised to see my first great blue heron of the year at the dam this morning. I do have a sketch of one flying over from February last year but they usually arrive and settle in late March or April. I hear that they spend the winter months near the coast where the water doesn't freeze so much.The river has opened up a lot in the last week after a few days of warm temperatures. It stalked http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2026/03/2026-first-great-blue-heron.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-7824382840490116336Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:13:00 +00002026-02-18T20:00:41.737-05:00It's pretty hard to connect the summer mallows with their winter versions. In each moment, they are completely and utterly themselves. 08-14-15-mallow07-28-21-mallow09-06-25-mallows10-01-25-mallows10-16-25-mallow0110-20-25-mallow02-18-26-mallow0102-18-26-mallow0302-18-26-mallow02http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2026/02/mallows.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-336208373457862684Sun, 25 Jan 2026 14:54:00 +00002026-01-25T09:54:24.607-05:00I am always enchanted by the pendulous seed balls of sycamore trees throughout the winter. They are Nature's Christmas ornaments. But with a big snow coming to Massachusetts later today, I wonder how many will fall to the ground weighted down by snow and ice. We shall see. Stay warm and vigilant good people!http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2026/01/sycamore-seeds.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-974516715305880907Sun, 18 Jan 2026 12:06:00 +00002026-01-18T07:06:06.765-05:00 01-17-26-hawk02inkMore birds of prey here.http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2026/01/red-tailed-hawk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-7449312198230573626Thu, 15 Jan 2026 12:25:00 +00002026-01-15T07:27:00.516-05:00 We've had a "January Thaw" the past few days. I wish I could say the same about other parts of the country (and the world). 01-11-26-puddle01-12-26-river04-27-20-puddle02-28-25-puddlehttp://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2026/01/look-down-to-see-sky.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-2032247331995604942Fri, 02 Jan 2026 12:09:00 +00002026-01-02T07:09:20.259-05:0001-01-26-goose02oil pastel, watercolor, 11 x 17"01-01-26-hawkcharcoal, ink01-01-26-branchescharcoalhttp://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2026/01/2026-happy-new-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-2656960697654068869Mon, 22 Dec 2025 12:22:00 +00002025-12-22T07:22:07.207-05:0012-21-25-island11-30-25-island11-22-25-island11-04-25-island07-08-25-island01-01-25-island http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-island.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-12626752002620071Mon, 08 Dec 2025 12:08:00 +00002025-12-08T07:08:42.737-05:00In the past few weeks I've been building a database of all my sketchbooks. I'm currently cataloging my books from 2020. I record the starting and ending dates, elapsed days and notable events or ideas that occurred to me and were recorded in a specific book.So far, I've processed 152 sketchbooks starting in the year 2000. Five more years to go to get up to this year. Because I'm a completist, http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2025/12/what-will-i-draw-today.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-5663980028825379338Thu, 27 Nov 2025 16:49:00 +00002025-11-27T11:49:59.753-05:0002-03-19-turkeyscharcoal11-06-25-turkeyscharcoal, wash"In the Woods" poems by David ElliottCandlewick Press, 2020 http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2025/11/turkeys.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-6675323093071354954Thu, 06 Nov 2025 11:53:00 +00002025-11-06T06:53:02.806-05:00I leave my studio in the early morning with the bare minimum of art supplies* in my hands and pockets. But Nature throws a spectacularly colorful New England autumn at me. I do my best and try to be inventive yet strategic in my drawing and painting.*most materials are obvious but by "crayon" I mean oil pastel, china marker or water soluble Neocolor crayons.10-08-25-islandpastel, crayon, charcoalhttp://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2025/11/autumn-colors.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-3971003270191878517Sun, 19 Oct 2025 19:47:00 +00002025-10-19T15:47:34.799-04:00Pleasant Street crosses over the Charles River on Eliot Bridge. I see it every day and I've drawn it frequently over the years. Everything about it is familiar and still challenging to draw. The Pleasant Street Bridge, also known as Eliot Bridge, is a historic dry-laid masonry arch bridge with four spans, each 25 feet long. It is listed in the Massachusetts inventory of historic places and http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2025/10/arches.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-6117652588119605563Sun, 05 Oct 2025 11:09:00 +00002025-10-05T07:09:01.360-04:0010-02-25-dampastel, ink10-01-25-mallowspastel, oil pastel, crayon 10-03-25-waterink, pastel09-13-25-geesecharcoal, ink, crayon09-23-25-pickerelweedoil pastel, pastel, ink09-06-25-mallowspastel, inkhttp://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2025/10/a-pop-of-color.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-2768330023827567358Thu, 25 Sep 2025 11:48:00 +00002025-09-25T07:48:09.329-04:00A few weeks ago, I spotted an immature night heron just below the bridge perched on the boulders. The river is low. Mallards paddled by and the osprey flew overhead. In some ways it's an unremarkable bird but I see them very rarely so I got excited.09-05-25-nightheron 09-07-25-turtleTwo days later, in the rain, a saw a large snapping turtle which had been hit by a car but was still alive andhttp://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-night-heron-snapping-turtle.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-7560051511981091343Tue, 16 Sep 2025 10:18:00 +00002025-09-16T06:18:49.161-04:00 Besides a few birds which seem to, increasingly, animate my drawings at the river and elsewhere, I try to capture the sleek and fleeting realities of furry creatures I see "down by the River Charles" and closer to home. They live enigmatic, urgent and beautiful lives. Please give them some space as you move through the world. They are, after all, family.http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2025/09/mammals.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-1724635829515145406Fri, 15 Aug 2025 11:11:00 +00002025-09-11T07:05:00.222-04:00"Color and Landscape"Dec. 2024, 67 pages, paperback, $18.00buy your copyFrom the introduction:"The images in this book exist at the meeting of drawing and painting. Both are entwined in the depiction of natural objects and natural phenomena in space."Here are a few works from this summer that continue the theme of Color & Landscape:05-17-25-south_salem01pastel, crayon07-11-25-heroncharcoal, http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2025/08/color-and-landscape-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-3492060013596163070Tue, 15 Jul 2025 01:48:00 +00002025-07-14T21:48:43.694-04:00When birds are scarce, I draw the island instead. Sometimes,  an animal wanders into the picture. But mostly it's just an intriguing composition with lots of texture!06-17-16-island07-14-25-island07-08-25-island05-25-24-island03-28-24-island0208-16-23-island12-27-22-island05-31-19-islandhttp://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-island.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-6394824388940489843Wed, 25 Jun 2025 16:12:00 +00002025-06-25T12:12:58.051-04:00Overlooking the sidewalk on the way to the dam, a hawk has set up housekeeping in a pine tree. I've seen it repeatedly since early June.06-17-25-hawk0206-17-25-hawk01 06-21-25-hawk0106-14-25-hawk0306-14-25-hawk0106-14-25-hawk02http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2025/06/the-new-hawk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-7459400127133494618Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:04:00 +00002025-03-21T11:04:12.997-04:0002-27-25-sparrow 03-20-25-grackle03-16-25-crow03-15-25-muskrat03-07-25-crows0203-18-25-crow02http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2025/03/silhouettes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7191542066669675458.post-8578035189382865929Fri, 07 Mar 2025 17:43:00 +00002025-03-07T12:43:29.797-05:0001-06-25-bridge03-06-25-crow03-06-25-sparrow02-24-25-island02-12-25-willow0101-18-25-mergansers0112-07-24-ducks0110-17-24-pickerelweed09-26-24-swan01http://robd-observations.blogspot.com/2025/03/yellow-paper.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Dunlavey)0