Ozark birds Archives - GoatKeepers Press

Looking out the kitchen window, I saw a titmouse raiding the bird feeder. The local paper had an article about David Plank, a local watercolor artist who is known for drawing Ozark birds like that titmouse.

Years ago I had an opportunity to meet this famous artist and get some tips on using watercolors. This was when I dreamed of doing my own watercolor illustrating, but was too scared to try.

I had pictured some fancy room as David Plank’s studio. It wasn’t. All an artist’s studio really needs is working space with good lighting.

Meeting David Plank

At the time I was writing articles for a local free ad paper called the Kaleidoscope. This gave me several opportunities. One was working with an editor who moved my writing from a schoolwork level to a semiprofessional one. The other was getting to go places and meet people around my area.

Visual Manna held an Art Camp each summer. David Plank was a guest teacher there. I got to attend both to write about the event and to participate. He invited me to his studio.

My photographs don’t do justice to David Plank’s paintings. The kingbirds (top) are his favorite birds. The white crowned sparrow (bottom) is a winter visitor and getting ready to leave in this spring picture.

Drawing Ozark Birds

David Plank has drawn birds since he was very young. It’s his passion, one he followed as a hobby for years before his art drew notice. After that, he could spend all his time sketching and painting.

The studio was crowded with pencil sketches, finished paintings and prints of birds. These took up almost the entire room. His work space took up the rest dominated by a slanted board next to a window.

Wrens are opportunists when siting their nests. They have nested in my barn, in the workshop on top of band saws or tool shelves. Come too close and they hop around scolding.

Watercolor Methods

There are two approaches to painting with watercolors. One uses lots of water to create washes. This is often used to do sea or sky backgrounds, wide expanses of color.

The other uses an almost dry brush to apply the paint more thickly and precisely. David Plank uses this method to create his birds. This is my preferred method.

Whichever method is used, white is not used as a color. That makes it imperative to know beforehand what your drawing will be. Any area you want to be white, must be blocked off so the white of the paper is left to supply the color. You must see your drawing differently, seeing how the color goes around and augments these white areas.

The paper’s article was a retrospective as David Plank turns 90. Drawing Ozark birds is still his passion. I admire his work, done with a skill I don’t have now and probably never will. But, when he started, neither did he. That skill comes with having a passion for drawing and persistence to keep working at it.

Last night, as I came in from milking, I heard him. The lone whip-o-will remaining in our valley has returned. His call reminds me that the summer birds return this month banishing winter for now.

Watching the bird feeder, the titmice, juncos and sparrows are gone. They’ve been replaced by purple finches and goldfinches. The hummingbirds are back. The season has changed.

I was standing in the barn doorway waiting for some goats to finish eating when I first saw these birds off in the pasture. They had long necks like turkeys, but didn’t stand like turkeys. Binoculars showed the pair to be Canada geese. A week or so later, only the gander was still walking around in the pasture.

New Birds

For the first time a pair of Canada geese have decided to visit with us. The pastures are lush and green for them to enjoy grazing. The creek is flowing well.

Evidently the pair found our place to their liking. The goose has disappeared leaving the gander parading around. The crows have discovered they are no longer welcome in his stretch of the creek.

In several more weeks the goose will probably be back with little goslings following behind. We still don’t know why the pair decided to stay when there is only the creek for water.

Later in the summer the goldfinches hang on the chicory stalks eating the seeds. That is the time to get some good pictures of these wary birds.

Flashes of Yellow

When summer birds return, finches are among them. The purple finches have purple on their heads and necks. The goldfinches are drab greens.

Now the male goldfinches are dressed in their summer finery. Walking out the door this morning to do chores, a small flock flew up out of the yard. All fled to the bushes except one. He stopped on the wire around the persimmon tree to strut his stuff. His golden feathers and black cap were striking.

Plenty of Food

Although many birds do keep coming by the bird feeder, most are off eating the many insects now flying and crawling around in the plants. If the cicadas emerge here, that food supply will increase dramatically.

The one item I wish was more popular are the ticks. They are in great abundance this year.

A fairly dry winter became a fairly wet spring just in time for the summer birds return. Now the rain needs to keep coming to water my garden.