illustration: lobster

 

Happy 2012 all! This is my first post of the new year, and I need to “claw” my way back into the routine. So on that note…

I’ve been anxious to add a lobster to my collection of crustacean art ever since my trip along the coast of Maine, past summer. After having done three different kinds of crabs, the lobster deserves some recognition too. I did this painting in watercolor on an oversized pad.

Feel free to check out my art for sale, including sea life, at my store.

Did you notice that this lobster is not red? Lobsters turn red only after they’ve been cooked, ready to be served on a plate.

Here is an easy recipe, if you’re just cooking the tail:

- Chop the tail in half, lengthwise.

- Add butter or peanut oil, sea salt and pepper on the meat.

- Place the two parts meat-side down on the grill for 4 to 5 minutes.

- Then flip them shell-side down for 3 minutes until the meat appears opaque and firm.

- Finally, top with a squeeze of lemon, and garnish with parsley.

Placing the lobster on a bed of angel hair pasta, aglio e olio style would be a nice compliment to the dish.

Yum. I should start a food blog.

painted turtle

The clocks move an hour forward this weekend, and that means Spring is almost here.  (One more week to go.)  In honor of the return of warmer weather, I create a watercolour. It’s the first critter to emerge from hibernation, a Painted Turtle, now basking in the sun, peacefully in a remote pond.

painting: three trilobites

Trilobites were prehistoric anthropods that existed in the waters during early the Cambrian age (525 million years ago) to the Permian age (250 million years ago). Mainly, bottom-feeders, their diet consisted of plankton.

My watercolor painting illustrates three trilobites passing each other in the shallow ocean floor. Naturally, the only evidence of their activity appears in fossil form, but I wanted to depict them as alive. After all, the trilobite species reigned on the Earth for hundreds of millions of years.

painting: cicada

On the same theme as my last post, here is another creepy crawler insect, the cicada. With July approaching, summertime is when we hear the droning of these critters in the trees. That is because cicadas are eagerly seeking for a mate, after having spent 17 years underground. They may be big in size and overwhelming in numbers, but don’t worry. Cicadas are harmless.

painting: rainbow trout

I took up fishing about 5 years ago. And I’m still not very good at it. I’ve only caught an average of 3 fish per season. I’d catch a Yellow Perch or a Stone Bass, and feel like an accomplished male, then release it. But the real reward in the sport is in those large, very smart, finicky fish several feet deep under the canoe – the Trout. So this year, I attended an event at the local sporting goods store promoting fly fishing. All of a sudden, my casual hobby has turned into a formula for rocket scientists. And very expensive. Over $250 for a fly fish rod? Anyway, I think the only way I can capture a trout is with my paintbrush. So, here is a watercolor of a Rainbow Trout.

painting: olympic downhill ski

My watercolor in celebration of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.  This one is of slalom skiing.  Feel free to visit my store, including prints for sale.

painting: cat on sidewalk

Watercolor of my cat sunbathing on the sidewalk.

fall leaves

I’ve collected a pile of leaves this fall season, while walking the dog.  I can’t seem to identify the round one (middle, lower row).   It is not as common as the maple and oak species, and it has a interesting pattern of veins.

illustration: blue crab

Don’t touch.  These are feisty crustaceans that will claw onto anything that comes close.  By the way, if you likey, my store (on etsy) is now open.  Please feel free to check it out!

illustration: antique bicycle

Watercolor of an antique high wheel bicycle.  Circa 1885.  The print is for sale at my shop.