Wild Ozark™

~ Nature Artist using Ozark pigments in Kingston, Arkansas ~

Wild Ozark: Where Madison Woods paints with Ozark pigments … and talks to rocks, creeks, and trees.

Blog

Special Little Snowflakes

First Snowfall 2017

A couple of snowflakes flurried around the other day, but today is the day I’m counting as Wild Ozark’s first official snowfall of 2017.

5 January 2017
How to Identify Plants in the Wild, How to Search and Find Clues

Earlier this year I surveyed my newsletter members for their top questions. Here’s one about how to identify plants found in the outdoors.

Top Questions

It’s more of a comment than a question, but I’m creating this post in response to … Read the rest “How to Identify Plants in the Wild, How to Search and Find Clues”

26 December 2016
Product Review: STABILicers Ice Cleats make Slippery Slopes a Cinch!

When it gets icy here, just walking down the back steps is a feat, but making my rounds to feed the critters is the whole circus. Ice cleats to the rescue.

Biding time to try out the ice cleats

So … Read the rest “Product Review: STABILicers Ice Cleats make Slippery Slopes a Cinch!”

19 December 2016
Keeping up the Juggling Act

It’s the holiday season, so it stands to reason that lots of folks are juggling lots of things in their lives these days.

Juggling and Not Too Successfully

I’ve been dropping a few balls lately. Right now the ones on … Read the rest “Keeping up the Juggling Act”

6 December 2016
End of Autumn and Letting Go of Clutter

The end of autumn brings me to a state of feeling introspective. Depression, melancholy maybe, or just a need to be alone with my thoughts for a little while … It’s not “sadness”, and it’s not a negative thing. It’s … Read the rest “End of Autumn and Letting Go of Clutter”

27 November 2016
Perseverance

If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I’m stubborn and don’t give up easily. And I draw a lot of inspiration from nature.

This snail is steadfastly going over obstacles that could proportionately be called boulders. I … Read the rest “Perseverance”

22 November 2016
Comanche’s Eye

There is just something special about the eyes of a horse. I can’t tell you what it is because I don’t know the words to explain it.

I haven’t had a lot of time for blogging lately, so I think … Read the rest “Comanche’s Eye”

19 November 2016
Hornet’s Nest & The last of the fall color at Wild Ozark

A hornet’s nest to decorate with has long been on my wish-list. Around here, they don’t survive very long in the wild because cliff or chimney swifts tear up their nests to make the plaster for their own nests.

There … Read the rest “Hornet’s Nest & The last of the fall color at Wild Ozark”

16 November 2016
Rewind: Between Autumn and Winter: A Liminal Space

We’re in a holding pattern at Wild Ozark right now, which is in its own way a sort of liminal space. Rob has two hernias and we’re waiting for the surgeon’s office to call with his appointment day/time.

So while … Read the rest “Rewind: Between Autumn and Winter: A Liminal Space”

27 October 2016
Imposter by Nature – Hognose Snake

Valerie, don’t read this post… it’s about a hognose snake and there are pictures 😉

Situational Awareness Lesson

This is a negative lesson. Don’t do what I do. Luckily for me, it wasn’t as bad a situation as it could … Read the rest “Imposter by Nature – Hognose Snake”

21 October 2016
Get in Shape with Nature- Starting out the Day Hot & Sweaty

This morning kicked off my first effort at returning to a daily walk/jog routine. It’s time to get in shape after 6 months of trying to take it easy.

Get in Shape

I can’t *really* jog yet. My knee is … Read the rest “Get in Shape with Nature- Starting out the Day Hot & Sweaty”

8 September 2016
Ginseng Growing Season is Winding Down, Digging Winding Up

Ginseng Growing Season

The ginseng growing season is winding down now. The plants set berries earlier and most of them have ripened and fallen to the ground already. Some of the plants will soon begin turning yellow most years. We’ve … Read the rest “Ginseng Growing Season is Winding Down, Digging Winding Up”

6 September 2016
Unveiling Wild Ozark’s New Logo

It’s time for a new logo, and a permanent one. It’s taken me a few years of working on Wild Ozark to finally figure out what exactly it is that ties all of the things we do together.

Why a
… Read the rest “Unveiling Wild Ozark’s New Logo”

2 September 2016
Homestead: Getting the Chainsaw Stuck … and Unstuck

Today was an outdoor work day, at least until the storm blew in. Feeding critters, excluding chickens, and getting the chainsaw stuck, and unstuck.

Feeding Critters

I did the usual thing first – fed the critters. It was a foggy … Read the rest “Homestead: Getting the Chainsaw Stuck … and Unstuck”

30 August 2016
Ozark Backroad Photo Journey – Come Along for the Ride

Whenever I go away from the house alone, I take my camera. A simple run to the post office or to town becomes an Ozark Backroad Photo Journey. I generally try not to do this when I have passengers or … Read the rest “Ozark Backroad Photo Journey – Come Along for the Ride”

28 August 2016
Mushrooms are Rising and Fall is in the Air at Wild Ozark

With all the rain we’ve been having, and the cool mornings for the past couple of days, the fungi are loving above ground life. This morning there were mushrooms galore!

Fall is Coming

Have you noticed fall in the air … Read the rest “Mushrooms are Rising and Fall is in the Air at Wild Ozark”

21 August 2016
Tiny Pretty Things

Lots of tiny pretty things catch my eye.

A little flash of red caught my eye yesterday when I was working on repairs to the horses’ gate.

At the moment I was unable to move the grass aside to see … Read the rest “Tiny Pretty Things”

17 August 2016
Slugs and Dragons and Ginseng, Oh My! Wild Ozark Creations

I’ve been working on a few new Wild Ozark creations lately. This creative streak seems to have no end in sight, either, because ideas just keep coming and I keep feeling compelled to follow them through.

Slugs

This is the … Read the rest “Slugs and Dragons and Ginseng, Oh My! Wild Ozark Creations”

13 August 2016
Custom Drawing – “Slug on Poison Ivy”

This is a custom drawing of a slug on poison ivy. In this post I’ll show you the process I use for drawing a picture with Prismacolor pencils. This particular nature drawing is for a business card client.

First, the
… Read the rest “Custom Drawing – “Slug on Poison Ivy””

5 August 2016
Prettiest Rooster Contest

Do you have a pretty rooster?

Wild Ozark is hosting a contest to see who has the prettiest roosters out there.

Send in your entries!

11 Winners will get a free 2017 calendar featuring the prettiest roosters entered into our … Read the rest “Prettiest Rooster Contest”

5 August 2016
Balanced Asymmetry and Order in Chaos in Nature, Work, and Art

Note: an edited and better composed version of this is posted over at Medium.

I’ve been in a crafty mood lately. It’s probably safe to say I’m always in a crafty mood. I think I’ve finally figured out why.… Read the rest “Balanced Asymmetry and Order in Chaos in Nature, Work, and Art”

26 July 2016
Mailbox and Back in Under an Hour

Yesterday I brought my camera with me when I went to the mailbox. If I had walked, I know it would have taken more than an hour because I would have seen so many more opportunities to stop and take … Read the rest “Mailbox and Back in Under an Hour”

20 July 2016
Top Questions from Readers: Healing Herbs

Healing Herbs: the first of the Top Questions and Topics of Interest from Readers

Healing herbs and using the wild plants for medicine was one of the most often mentioned topics in the recent survey results.

In case you’re just … Read the rest “Top Questions from Readers: Healing Herbs”

15 July 2016
Installing a Culvert Retaining Wall was Today’s Homestead Project

Today I built a culvert retaining wall for the culvert on the shop driveway to keep it from washing out around the sides. I was grateful for the overcast and dreary day so I could do this work without getting … Read the rest “Installing a Culvert Retaining Wall was Today’s Homestead Project”

8 July 2016
No Water

This morning I turned on the faucet to put some water on my toothbrush.

Nothing but a few drops came out. Then, nothing. No water.

No Water

My thoughts immediately led to the question in my mind, which was “Where … Read the rest “No Water”

1 July 2016