Great News from Australia! (Bandocoot-related)

I can always use some good news about progress in animal protection!

Australia, which (according to WWF) has the worst rate of mammal extinction in the world which got only worse after the devastating fire season of 2019-20, made huge progress on saving Eastern Barred Bandicoot! Their status was changed from "extinct in the wild" to "endangered" - after 30 years of conservation efforts, the number of bandicoots has jumped from just 150 animals to an estimated 1,500 - here is a link to a full article on BBC. 

Fall Signs

Fall signs: Chinese Elm Trees (Ulmus parvifolia) don't drop the leaves - they drop the whole outer branches - with seeds and all. They are still green but different from summer green - these are dull and chalky but it feels like a very real fall foliage event.

Little Everyday Things

I picked up a bunch of dahlias at the farmers market last week and still enjoy their company. There is a little story about this particular pink one - written in the sketch.

Also, there is a shortage of magnolia seed pods this year: I looked at my sketchbook from a year ago and saw that I had plenty to draw by this time. But this year I see only old or half-eaten ones. 

A little video about me painting the seed pods here:

Inktober 2021: leftovers

I am making an alphabet of flowers for the Inktober this year. These will be my favorite flowers and since there are more days in October than letters in English Alphabet, some letters will gt two flowers. Or three :) I haven't decided as, apparently, I have more favorite flowers than there are days in October :)

In the process of creating these illustrations, I am left with some leftovers. I convert these into collages/experiments and messages to send to friends. Here are some agapanthuses:

What is on my table? End of September 2021.

September flew by very fast and was a month filled with a lot of non-art-related happenings for me but then everything is art-related - even when it is not. Some of them will sooner or later make their way to my stories here, some will not. But I am heading towards the end of the year at full speed:

• I am making a new series for the Inktober 2021 (it will be ab alphabet of my favorite flowers);
• Playing with acrylic markers with a new group of art friends;
• Painting house portraits
• Talking to people around the world on video and drawing their portraits while we chat;
• Closing some illustration and design projects for clients. 

Happy October!