Sketching Day at the Zoo

(Small watercolor study of Venus)

Summer provides great weather and opportunities to get outside and create art.  Living in Omaha, Nebraska provides me with numerous options for sketch practice.  Yesterday I spent much of the day hanging out in the bears' and lions' complexes at the world's #1 rated zoo.... the Henry Doorly Zoo.  I am drawn to the large mammals for my wildlife work.  I enjoyed walking all around their enclosures, observing their mannerisms, movements, and structure.  

I understand that observing animal behavior in captivity is not quite like seeing them in their true habitats, but at least it is better than nothing.  I still can profit by sketching and learning from what I see.

Unless the animals were sleeping, they were in constant motion.  That makes it challenging to just capture basic gestures or parts of the whole.

Although far from being a lion or bear, the flamingos captured my eye, too.  I am totally amazed at how they can balance their plump, plumaged upper body on one spindly long leg.  They don't even wobble!

Being at the zoo reminds me in fresh ways of how amazing our great Creator God is, the infinite variety of His thoughts to have come up with the vast variety of creatures!  It is always time well-spent to slow down and really observe the beauty of the created world.  

Be brave and courageous!