Sandhill Crane

Last winter I traveled around Florida quite a bit... gypsy fashion...staying in areas near art and craft shows. I did shows on
weekends.....photography and painting during the week.  For a period in January I was staying at a Yoga Retreat east of Sarasota near the Myakka River State Park... known to be a good place to observe and photograph wildlife.  One night about sunset I heard the distinctive voice of a Sandhill Crane nearby, got my camera and went off to see if I could find it.  Sandhill Cranes are often found in surburban backyards in Florida as their natural environment is becoming increasingly over run by development in the state.  I had been planning to do a painting of this large wading bird, including its reflection in water.  I found the crane and it was my good fortune that it was feeding along a "shoreline" (it was actually a puddle in a yard near the house where I was staying) and I got a few pretty good photos at sunset. 

I finally got around to doing the painting (I ended up painting the crane in a more naturalistic setting).  Reprints will be available on Placemats, Trivets, and Coasters starting tomorrow, January 2, in The Villages, Spanish Springs Craft Show. 

Happy New Year.
Dan