Today I took a spring wildflower walkabout. Mostly, I wanted to see if the Showy Orchid was up yet. I thought maybe there’d be at least some leaves. There was nothing. I’d have to check daily to catch them at …
Blog
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Inconveniencing the Horses
Sometimes, I feed at the back gate. There’s a few reasons why, but I’m sure they think it’s because I’m just inconveniencing the horses. That’s only part of the purpose, though.
Exercise
When the grass isn’t actively growing in the …
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Taking Detours
Today (it is Tuesday 3/18 as I write this) when I went to check the mail, I decided to continue on down the road a little farther to Felkins creek. I usually enjoy taking detours from the routine when I …
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Fences, Necessary Tractor Repairs, and House-cleaning
Sunday morning: It was 33*F when I got up this morning, and I’ve decided to ignore any task list items for today. My body objects to this swing in temperatures, and prefers to go downstairs without needing to put on …
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Still Working on that Old Shed Painting
Yes, I’m still working on that old shed painting. It’s taking me a while, but now it’s beginning to flesh out in the middle ground. Once I get the trees finished up, I’ll start on the ground around the shed.…
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Iron Oxide as Pigment
The colors in my pigments are because of various combinations of iron oxide, for the most part. This gives me the browns, the yellows, oranges, and the reds. I have an earthy palette!
Hematite
The red colors are from …
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The Earliest Ozark Spring Flowers
So far, the earliest Ozark spring flowers I’ve noticed have been the endemic Ozark witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis). Wriggly tendrils of yellow and orange add little splashes of color to the otherwise barren winter landscape, usually in February …
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Lively Little Waterfall
When there’s rainwater runoff, we have a lively little waterfall. It splashes down right at the edge of our driveway and flows across it to the creek.
It usually only flows at a trickle, so only keeps the ground wet. …
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Earthy Artwork Prints
Everything (almost) that I’ve painted is available as beautifully reproduced earthy artwork prints. The few that aren’t are most likely commissions, though a few of those are also available.
To find them, go to shop.wildozark.com and click the Artwork icon …
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Differentiate and Stand Out
Some of the agents in my brokerage are taking a 3-day workshop on becoming better at marketing our businesses. It’s geared for real estate agents, but everything I’ve heard so far is good for any business owner to learn, and …
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Cold, Windy Winter Days
The cold outside today wouldn’t be so intolerable if it weren’t windy. This morning, I actually had to wear my sunglasses to go bring food and water to the horses and chickens. The wind was brisk then, and my eyeballs …
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Update on the Old Shed painting
Time has been very limited lately and I haven’t been able to work on my old shed painting often enough. Today an hour presented itself, between loads of laundry and after running to town in the rain to get hay. …
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Cooper’s Hawk and the Road Runner
On our way to town Tuesday, we stopped along our dirt road to get a better look a Cooper’s hawk. I had hoped to get a photo, but the bird wouldn’t stay in one spot long enough. As we got …
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Ozark Winter Walkabout
Yesterday it was almost 60*F, and inspired a little walkabout in the Ozark winter to see how the pond and creeks looked, and our little driveway glacier.
For the past few days, the temperatures have been mild, above freezing. But …
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Our Little Driveway Glacier
At the lowest point on our driveway, there is a spring that seeps. During winters, the seep still flows. And as it does, our little driveway glacier grows. The water spreads out over the driveway and freezes into a large …
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Newsletter Subscriber Special
Just a quick post to let you know that I’m running an impromptu newsletter subscriber special. Sign up before 5pm to get the code.
Subscribers will receive a code to buy original art, prints, and notecards at 50% off until …
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I’m an Artist Who Uses Paints Made from Rocks
Every so often, I need to make a post at my website to introduce myself and share a bit about what I do. This helps keep my website relevant in the ever-important search engines. So hello! I’m an artist who …
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Frozen Fingers on a Beautiful, Brutally Cold Morning
It’s another beautifully brutally cold morning here at Wild Ozark. After bundling up to go out and feed the horses and chickens, I glanced at the package of Hot Hands and decided, nah, I’ll only be a few minutes. Twenty …
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The Moment of Quickening
I’ve been working on this painting for a while now. The sky is the farthest background, so that’s the area of focus. All the while it’s been pretty standard, putting paint here and there, by design or by whim. But …
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Owl Spotting Day
Before the snow began the other day, I needed to go into town to inspect one of the properties I have listed. That turned out to be a great Owl spotting day.
On the way down the driveway, the dripping …
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Snow Days at Wild Ozark
The past two days have been declared Snow Days at Wild Ozark. It’s been brutally cold, but today the temperatures have warmed up to 46*F so far and it is bright and sunny outside.
I haven’t been outside much because …
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Nature is Both Brutal and Beautiful
Beautiful brutality are two words that seem at odds with each other, right? But that’s exactly what the natural world really is – Nature is both brutal AND beautiful.
Even the parts most people would consider ugly is still beautiful …
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Savor the Commute
When I used to work in Bentonville it meant a long drive to and from work every day. Most people probably don’t savor the commute, but I did.
On the way out, the thirty minutes of dirt road gave me …
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Finding the Balance Between my Creative Life and Business Goals
When it comes to multi-tasking my life, work, and creativity demands, finding balance is my goal for 2025. When I wrote out my goals for 2024, there was a lot more on my list and I didn’t even touch …
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Fiction influenced by Nature
This is a post I wrote in 2014 on this same date. I’ve added an update in italics, and a paragraph at the end about the current situation concerning my (lack of) writing. But re-reading this post makes me want …