Wild Ozark™

~ Nature Artist in Kingston, Arkansas ~ Sharing my experience with Nature through art & writing about my life in the Ozarks

Category: Inspired by Nature

Nature is my muse. My art and writing are both inspired by nature.

Building a raised stone path

Today I made a little progress. I’m building a raised stone path on about a 40* slope from the stone steps to the faucet.

This is a project years in the working. My garden is on a hillside behind our … Read the rest “Building a raised stone path”

24 July 2025
The Things I See at Wild Ozark

The other day as I was driving to the office for work, I saw a beaver at the second bridge. I stopped to watch it and took some video. Then on the way home that day, I saw deer, mostly … Read the rest “The Things I See at Wild Ozark”

3 October 2024
Often Heard, But Seldom Seen

I have a short list of critters that are often heard, but seldom seen. The spring peeper in the featured image for this post is on that list. I was thrilled to finally get to see one so I could … Read the rest “Often Heard, But Seldom Seen”

17 August 2024
Seeking Nature and Biodiversity?

Everything about my life is influenced by the nature and biodiversity out here. When it comes to real estate, properties with soaked with both are my favorite ones to show. I’m probably the biggest tree-hugging nature lover in our office.… Read the rest “Seeking Nature and Biodiversity?”

23 May 2024
Bald Eagle | Ozark Birds of Prey series

Originally posted in 2020. I’m going through some of the older posts on my blog and refreshing them. This one really doesn’t need any changes, but it’s been a while since I’ve showcased my bald eagle painting.

One day I … Read the rest “Bald Eagle | Ozark Birds of Prey series”

11 March 2024
The Land Inspires

There was a time when I thought it was only this particular place I call Wild Ozark that held such importance in my life. While I do truly love this place I’m planted, over the years, through travel and difficult … Read the rest “The Land Inspires”

23 February 2024
Stalking the Wild Lady Fern

Near the top of our driveway there’s a deep narrow gully where the creek runs in the bottom. There’s a flotsam island in the middle of that, with shade-loving plants and ferns growing on it. I’ve been eyeing that fern … Read the rest “Stalking the Wild Lady Fern”

8 October 2023
Kings River in Autumn | Ozark pigments in oil

A week or so ago, I started working over the underpainting I’d made for this scene. This one is different from the other two in a significant way. I didn’t have any reference photos when I started working on it … Read the rest “Kings River in Autumn | Ozark pigments in oil”

23 July 2023
Art Inspiration Moments on a Non-Art-Making Day

Even in a day full of non-art related tasks, there can be moments of art inspiration.

Equine Escapees

In the mornings after I get out of bed, I go outside on the porch to have my coffee and listen to … Read the rest “Art Inspiration Moments on a Non-Art-Making Day”

3 June 2023
Musings from an Ozark nature artist

I’m at an ‘in between’ time at the moment. Between rain showers and rainy days, between things scheduled on my calendar. And since I just finished a painting, I’m between paintings, too. But this is a great time for … Read the rest “Musings from an Ozark nature artist”

16 May 2023
Kings River in Spring | Ozark pigments in oil

Today (Tuesday 4/18/23), I started working over the underpainting I’d previously done. It was meant for the autumn scene, but I decided to use it for the Kings River in Spring because there are still a lot of autumnal colors … Read the rest “Kings River in Spring | Ozark pigments in oil”

18 April 2023
Kings River in Winter | Ozark pigments in oil

The new year of 2023 kicked off the first oil paintings in my Kings River Four Seasons series. The one I chose to start with first is the winter scene. I’ll rotate through them to work on one while layers … Read the rest “Kings River in Winter | Ozark pigments in oil”

17 January 2023
Kings River | Scenes that Inspire Art

We live in the neighborhood of upper Kings River, in Madison county near the Newton county line (Arkansas). Kings River Falls are not too far away as the crow flies. The landscape here is rocky heart of the Boston Mountain … Read the rest “Kings River | Scenes that Inspire Art”

15 January 2023
New Acceptance | Watercolor USA 2022

The Forager was accepted to the 61st exhibition of Watercolor USA, a national, annual juried exhibition recognizing contemporary American watermedia painting. The juror was Kevin Umaña, co-founder of The Ekru Project, a Kansas City-based artist-run gallery focused … Read the rest “New Acceptance | Watercolor USA 2022”

23 March 2022
Hermit Journal | Early on a March Morning

Every morning I feed the horses and chickens. Once it gets close to spring, I also begin my ‘get-in-shape’ program. Come along with me to feed the horses before I head out for a jog and walk early on a … Read the rest “Hermit Journal | Early on a March Morning”

19 March 2022
Yellow-Billed Cuckoo | Rain Crow | Madison’s Earthy Art

It’s almost that time of year again when the rain crow, also known as yellow-billed cuckoo, starts calling. This is another one of those often heard but seldom seen critters that live out here at Wild Ozark. The other … Read the rest “Yellow-Billed Cuckoo | Rain Crow | Madison’s Earthy Art”

13 June 2021
Whippoorwill Says “Time to Plant Corn”

Yesterday evening I heard the first close whippoorwill of the 2021 season. Rob said he’d heard it the night before and wondered that it didn’t wake me up. And this week we “mowed” grass for the first time. But that’s … Read the rest “Whippoorwill Says “Time to Plant Corn””

10 June 2021
Maybe it isn’t sandstone… Bituminous Coal?

I’m often surprised at the colors I end up with when making paints. Sometimes the rock powder looks a lot different than the rock itself led me to think it would. But today I found a new puzzle. I usually … Read the rest “Maybe it isn’t sandstone… Bituminous Coal?”

24 May 2021
The Beauty of Rocks | How I Use Our Most Abundant Resource

If there’s one resource we have an unlimited supply of here in the Ozarks, it’s rocks. There are many reasons I love the rocks here at Wild Ozark. But I think I can narrow it down to the functional beauty … Read the rest “The Beauty of Rocks | How I Use Our Most Abundant Resource”

20 May 2021
Hermit Journal Updates | Early Spring Activities

It’s been a busy past couple of weeks here at Wild Ozark. Early spring and warmer weather brings a flurry of activity here at Wild Ozark. I’ve been working on our garden, grinding more rocks, and generally just enjoying the … Read the rest “Hermit Journal Updates | Early Spring Activities”

27 March 2021
My 2021 Outlook | A Loosely Defined Path

This is probably the first year that I didn’t go through a reflection of the previous year while making plans for the coming year. In some ways right now, it feels like it doesn’t really matter anyway. No matter how … Read the rest “My 2021 Outlook | A Loosely Defined Path”

4 January 2021
Nature Journal | Still the Mind to See and Hear

Summary: Still the mind to see and hear things you ordinarily wouldn’t notice. My walking meditation helps settle the audio-visual chatter.

9/17/20 Thursday | Today I stopped at the creek to gather a few rocks. Before that I’d spent the … Read the rest “Nature Journal | Still the Mind to See and Hear”

18 September 2020
A day in the life of a pigment hunting nature artist

Yesterday was a day for running errands. You can come along with me to see what it’s like on a typical errand day in the life of a pigment hunting nature artist.

Heading Out

Once the sun made over the … Read the rest “A day in the life of a pigment hunting nature artist”

6 June 2020
Thrill the Artist in Your Life with These 5 Unique Kinds of Gifts

These 5 unique kinds of gifts will thrill the artist in your life, especially if they’re the sort who loves nature, or natural and organic things. I’m a nature lover, an artist and paint-maker myself and so I’ve compiled … Read the rest “Thrill the Artist in Your Life with These 5 Unique Kinds of Gifts”

4 June 2020
Commissions, Our New Pup, and Other News | Wild Ozark Hermit Journal

I never know what to use for a title on my random musings posts. Most of the time if I don’t have a specific topic in mind, I just start writing and then organize the jumbled mess into some sort … Read the rest “Commissions, Our New Pup, and Other News | Wild Ozark Hermit Journal”

29 May 2020