Pencil sketches of a molting robin done at the Trailside Museum, River Forest, Illinois.

A leftover piece of bread from my lunch inspired this sketch.

I went to the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois on Labor Day and discovered this sycamore tree leaning toward the water (Lake Marmo). I loved the peeling bark and the way the branches grew, with prominent knobs, and changing direction quite abruptly.

Last Sunday afternoon I was with the sheep at the Minnesota State Fair. This was my first state fair ever, and the longest time I can remember spending with farm animals. I loved being near the sheep and their owners. The animals were at first very subdued. I went out and got a snack, and when I returned, they were much more lively, as if shaken up by something. They wouldn’t sit still for drawing, but finally I found one (bottom right corner of sketch) that sat chewing its cud, so I was able to draw it. I learned that sheep do not have top teeth, but a hard palate which they grind against with their bottom teeth.

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