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All my friends know that I appreciate the opportunity to draw roadkill. Well on this day a friend called to tell me that a Downy Woodpecker had flown into her house window and died. She said she would save it for me if I wanted to come and sketch it.
I like having an excuse to drive out into the country so I said of course. And because it was very, very hot (my notes say 88 but I found out on the ride home it was over 90) I knew I needed to go as soon as possible. When I got out of the car the heat hit me like a punch in the stomach. I couldn't breathe for a moment. But I always go prepared and I had my wide brimmed sun hat and several bottles of drinking water. I talked with my friend for a few moments and then set myself up with a chair for me, and a chair for the dead woodpecker (which we were carrying around on a piece of cardboard and positioning with a stick). I positioned all of this in the shade of the house. There wasn't a breath of air so I needed some protection. Once I was set up I did the quick color study on the verso page more to acclimatize myself to the heat than to warm up. Karen's dog sat companionably by on her tie out, in the shade of a tree. From time to time she would jump up and chase flies and other bugs. Karen came out with a chocolate treat which was melty by this time, but it revived me enough to do the more detailed sketch on the recto page. (I rotated the bird around to get a view from the other side.) |
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Illustration © 2007 Roz Stendahl; All Rights Reserved |