The call of the Common loon is synonymous with cottage country. And it is no surprise since they make their summer home in northern freshwater lakes. In winter they head to the coastlines of North America where they adapt well because of special glands that filter out saltwater allowing them to drink it.

The Common loon is one of  5 species of loons and is also the best known. It is often depicted in wildlife art swimming in pairs across the lake surrounded by evergreen trees. The artwork featured here is a digital rendition of an original watercolor painting. It is sold  on various products and prints in my Redbubble shop

Waxwings like to hang out in a large flock, the one and only time I had the pleasure of seeing waxwing birds is when around a dozen of them perched on an apple tree in my backyard. Hope I get to see this unique looking bird again.

This pen sketch of a waxwing was made directly with a pen, no eraser or pencil used. The pen is a Sharpie with nib size 0.5 mm. bought in a 2 pack at Walmart

8 x 10 inch watercolor art of raccoon on tree trunk

There is no lack of raccoons in my backyard, sometimes I see a whole family of them strutting across the lawn. Ever hear a raccoon at night? They scream, they snort, growl and make all sorts of other sounds that can keep you awake at night.  But that's just how they communicate with one another.

The raccoon art pictured here is from an animal and wildlife art challenge on a forum I participated in this month.  I had a choice from a variety of animal photos, one of which was a raccoon, so I thought I'd give it a whirl and hone up on practicing watercolor painting.

Buy A print From Digital Version

I thought the aspen tree was just another name for the birch tree, it wasn't until I started writing this blog post that I found out the two are actually different tree species. Aspens have a wider distribution range in North America than Birch trees which are mostly found in the northern and eastern regions.

Both have slim trunks and similar white looking bark with black markings making it difficult to tell them apart.  But the bark of birch trees flakes and peels off the trunk in paper thin layers. 

Another difference is in the way they grow, aspens grow from a single root system in a way similar to rhizomes in some flowers like irises but birch trees grow from seeds. There are also more varieties of birch trees than there are of aspen trees.

 But regardless, both add beauty to the natural landscape and are a favorite painting subject for many nature artists including me. The digital version of the acrylic birch tree painting (or is it an aspen?) pictured in this blog post can be bought as canvas prints at Pictorem and on other products at Redbubble.

The Keeshond is a medium sized dog with a beautiful thick bushy coat and curly tail. This dog breed originated in the Netherlands and was at one time called the "Dutch Barge Dog" because it was bred to keep guard on the barges traveling through Holland's waters.

Keeshonden (that's the plural of "Kesshond") are intelligent making them easy to train, and have a gentle nature while at the same time make good watchdogs with their loud bark alerting the family to anything amiss. But don't expect them to go chasing after intruders, the Keeshond  is not known as an aggressive breed.

If you are interested in a modern style watercolour pet portrait such as the Keeshond art in this blog post check out my site at waterart.50webs.com for info on how you can commission a pet portrait