At Home

egret eating fish

Hope everyone is well. I watched an egret devouring his catch. He/she repositioned the fish to swallow it. I could see the outline of the fish as it went down. It was amazing!

And here are some links to things I've enjoyed during this “stay at home” period.

Theater  https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home

Literature No waiting to read or hear the audio of book 1 in the Harry Potter series through your local library with your card. or here stories.audible.com. OR OverDrive’s Libby app available through the end of April

For activities related to Harry Potter Harry Potter At Home hub here 

Nature African Tembe live stream watering hole https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twVMjl_wPrc

Bird cams from around the world https://birdcams.live/ just watched this owl cam from the Netherlands https://nestkastlive.nl/steenuil3/

Art and Performance videos of lectures and performances from the Metropolitan Museum in NY https://www.metmuseum.org/metmedia. . archives

museums around the world are offering virtual tours

EYE ON NATURE, Artists Explore the World of Plants and Animals

My drawing of the female kestrel is on view, as is this wonderful Diamondback Terrapin turtle shell, a  new work, in the Eye on Nature show. The markings remind me of Arabic calligraphy.

Female Kestrel (Falco sparverius), graphite and Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin), watercolor ©DonnaMiskend

Kestrels are in the Falcon family and are one of the smallest birds of prey. They can be found in cities, and their diet includes insects and small rodents. Eliminating the use of pesticides makes sense as they become part of these bird's food source. It's also far more cost effective to use nature's food chain.
The Diamondback Terrapin is found in the eastern U.S. coastal habitats in waters that contain some salt such as salt marshes, tidal creeks, estuaries, bays and coves. They come ashore to lay their eggs. Not surprisingly, they are threatened by development, cars as they cross roads to find nesting sites, and pollutants. Rising sea waters are also a factor making the brackish mix of salt + freshwater habitats over saturated with salt. Their diet includes crabs, and are often caught in  crab box nets where they drown.

Also included - more mushrooms! Some creature started to make a meal of this one.

Yellow Bolete (Boletus, sp.), watercolor ©DonnaMiskend

The exhibit, EYE ON NATURE, Artists Explore the World of Plants and Animals closes on October 27th.
venue: Poe Park Visitor Center, 2640 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY
hours: Tues. - Fri. 9 - 5   Sat. 8 - 4     tel: 718.365.5516
accessible by subway: D and 4 to Kingsbridge station or Metro North Fordham station

Hop over to my Conversations blog to read interviews with the participants and check back in October as I add more related to the exhibit.

EYE ON NATURE

On view September 1 - October 27, 2018 

Julia Ruth, Jennifer Deutscher, Maria Giuliani, Donna Miskend

I've curated a new exhibit, EYE ON NATURE, ARTISTS EXPLORE THE WORLD OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS. Along with my own work, on display will be illustrations by Jennifer Deutscher, Maria Giuliani and Julia Ruth. 

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 8th at 12:45pm, an artist panel discussion followed by a talk about flora and fauna of the Bronx River by Stephen Paul DeVillo, author of The Bronx River in History and Folklore who also conducts ramblings throughout the year along it's banks. (Read our interview ) 

And read my interview with one of the artists in the exhibit Jenn along with other botanical art students that appeared in the Botanical Artist Journal in 2016 (click here to read). For the latest about her work, hop over to my Conversations blog for a short Q & A update. 

I'll be including new print etchings, along with graphite and watercolors.

venue: Poe Park Visitor Center, 2640 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY
hours: Tues. - Fri. 9 - 5   Sat. 8 - 4     tel: 718.365.5516
accessible by subway: D and 4 to Kingsbridge station or Metro North Fordham station

New Work - Natural Science

Burrowing Owl, natural science, collage, Donna Miskend 2016
(Cynomys Ludovicianus, Bouteloua Gracias, Camnula Pellucida
Athene Cunicularia, Melanoplus Bivittatus)

I'm building my portfolio of animals starting with birds. This is the habitat of the burrowing owl on the Canadian prairies.



And a female Kestral. More to come!

Kestral, natural science, graphite, Donna Miskend 2016
(Falco Sparverius)

New Work, Botanical

I've fallen in love with mushrooms! These are woodland mushrooms. In my original graphite drawing I left the leaf as just a contour drawing to highlight the mushroom. For the watercolor I added a tint to the leaf because it looked too stark and was distracting. This was done with Yarka pan watercolors.

Woodland  Mushrooms 1, botanical, Donna Miskend 2015

69th Annual BEAUX ARTS EXHIBIT/Master Storytellers Exhibit

For MASTER STORYTELLERS EXHIBIT SCHEDULE CLICK HERE  EXTENDED through June 27 due to popular demand at Poe Park Visitor Center, Bronx, NY.

Classic stories by Hans Christian Andersen, Edgar Allan Poe, the Brothers Grimm and more master storytellers' books illustrated by children's book artists.

Visit http://conversationswithdonnamiskend.blogspot.com/ for a glimpse at some of the artwork on view and a conversation with participating artists.

Donna Miskend 2015
How the Leopard Got Its Spots
cut paper collage

I'm highlighting nature this season. I chose animals for my entries in the Master Storytellers exhibit on view at Poe Park Visitor Center, 2640 Grand Concourse, Bronx through May 30th.
CLICK here to read comments by participating artists.
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Donna Miskend 2013
Mexican Sunflowers, gouache

69th Annual Beaux Arts Exhibit
It almost feels like spring, so I decided to enter flowers for the  on view until April 29 at the Bronxville Women's Club, in Bronxville.

Donna Miskend 2013
Over In The Meadow, gouache/watercolor