Little things crop up unexpectedly from time to time, like a hailstorm in late May or squirrels eating all of the pears when they’re almost ripe. Sometimes life throws a big curveball, though. Such an event happened here at Wild …
Blog
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Yellow Paint from Thyme | Lake Pigment | Part 4
Today I’ll be using the pigment I made a few weeks ago to make yellow paint from thyme. It’s an oil paint. I use linseed oil to make the paints, and walnut oil while I’m working with them. While I …
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Walking the Morning Mile | Signs of Autumn
This morning after the rain stopped, we walked our morning mile. I noticed the red leaves of black gum (black tupelo) scattered here and there on the driveway. They’re a subtle cue that autumn is on the way. Yellow sweet …
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BioDB: Uniting the World for Wildlife Conservation
Introduction: This is a guest post from the founder of BioDB, Assaf Levy. From time to time, I host a guest article on this website if the topic has to do with nature, conservation, environmental concerns, local nature attractions, or …
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Kings River in Summer | Ozark Pigments in Oils
As you might already know, I’m doing a series of paintings featuring the beautiful Kings river throughout the seasons. This page is for Kings river in summer. The reference photos I’m using for all four paintings are taken at the …
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It’s the Bentonville Art Market Weekend
Notice: When it’s Bentonville Art Market Weekend for me, I won’t be at the studio that weekend. Once a month during this session of the market, I’ll be heading out in the very wee hours to get set up on …
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Periodic Clearing
Every so often over the years I’ve written about the times when I’ve had to do a sort of mental housecleaning… a periodic clearing of the metaphorical clutter in my life. Sometimes that also involves clearing out a bunch of …
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Long Dirt Road: Why it Takes me an Hour to Drive 12 Miles
This is a post from a few years ago that I love, so I’m reposting it. We live down a long dirt road. This little facet of our lives is the main thing that makes or breaks most newcomers to …
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Journal Entry | 2 August 2023
My plan with this is to just jot down the little things I do each day that I think will be interesting to someone somewhere. If a Journal Entry is long enough to post by itself, I’ll hit publish. If …
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Nature Art Inspiration at Kings River
I recently finished a painting set at the Kings river which is down our road. Wild Ozark is a few more miles down the dirt road away from pavement than the bridge, but we cross it every time we go …
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Art Book | Soul of the Ozarks 2023
A while back I decided to make an art book to send to my collectors. They’re not big door-stopper books, just a catalog of the current art available, with some prose. Every year I’ll make one but will start with …
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Art Layaways? | Available Anytime, for Any Orders $100 +
Wild Ozark is now offering art layaways, open to any orders over $100. Shop in person at the Wild Ozark Studio & Gallery, or online at Shop Wild Ozark. It doesn’t have to be just original art, any cart total …
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Studio Update July 29
We’ll be braving the heat this weekend, so if you’re out there, too, drop in to see us!
Wild Ozark Studio & Gallery
102 Main Street
Alpena, AR
10 am to 4 pmThe update this week is in the …
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Kings River in Autumn | Ozark pigments in oil
A week or so ago, I started working over the underpainting I’d made for this scene. This one is different from the other two in a significant way. I didn’t have any reference photos when I started working on it …
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July 22 | Saturday is Studio Day!
The studio will be open this weekend. July 22 Saturday is open studio day! I really enjoy my days at the studio and I hope you’ll drop in to say hello if you’re in the area. The other artists will …
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Changing of the Seasons
It doesn’t feel like it outside, but inside of myself I can feel that autumn is on the way. The changing of the seasons is underway. There’s been a subtle shift, and every year when this point passes, I can …
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Lightfast yellow color, Harvesting Thyme, Planting Weld & Indigo
In my quest for lightfast yellow color, I usually use earth pigments. Those are notoriously long-lasting. They’re also earthy, beautiful in their own way and I love them. But sometimes I crave brighter, clear colors. Those are usually only found …
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A Yellow Paint Experiment | Lake pigment from thyme
Back when I made my very first set of paints, I had a really nice yellow. I’d made several yellows from various plants and did lightfast tests on them. All failed except for the one, gorgeous yellow. Not only did …
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The Wild Ozark Art Studio is now a functioning workspace!
I’m so happy to have the ‘studio portion’ of the Wild Ozark Art Studio & Gallery to a point where I can actually paint and do work in it. The big desk is great for … well, all kinds of …
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3 Creative Ways to Use Rocks
If there’s one thing I do well, it is that I am a master of finding creative ways to use rocks. Since we moved to these rocky Ozark mountains in 2005, I’ve loved our rocks even if they do present …
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Painting the Choo Choo Trail
I decided a few weeks ago to try painting some scenes that might appeal to the mountain bikers who enjoy the trails of northwest Arkansas. Since I’m not a biker, I searched online for ideas and found a photo of …
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Repurposed Frames for New Artwork
My thirsty raven painting is framed finally, and it looks great! Often when I intend to use repurposed frames for new artwork, I’ll repaint or add color to make it work. But for this one, I didn’t have to change …
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Art Inspiration Moments on a Non-Art-Making Day
Even in a day full of non-art related tasks, there can be moments of art inspiration.
Equine Escapees
In the mornings after I get out of bed, I go outside on the porch to have my coffee and listen to …
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A Nature Artist’s Task list
When you hear someone say they’re an artist, you might think all they do is paint. I guess there are some who can do that, but I don’t get to paint every day. There’s a host of other things to …
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Musings from an Ozark nature artist
I’m at an ‘in between’ time at the moment. Between rain showers and rainy days, between things scheduled on my calendar. And since I just finished a painting, I’m between paintings, too. But this is a great time for …