Wild Ozark™

~ Nature Artist in Kingston, Arkansas ~

Category: Nature

Did you know Osage Oranges evolved with wooly mammoths?

Osage

Maclura pomifera, also known as Osage Orange, Bois d’Arc, Hedge-apple, or Horse-apple, the osage tree is native to our area. Even so, there aren’t very many of them in our particular neck of the woods.

A bedraggled osage tree.
… Read the rest “Did you know Osage Oranges evolved with wooly mammoths?”

24 December 2015
With a departing roar

With a departing roar the storm rolled off to the east. Clear skies between broken clouds filled the southwestern wake.

Nature is my muse.

I’ve been working hard on my novel, trying to get the first draft finished by the … Read the rest “With a departing roar”

23 December 2015
Winter Solstice 2015 – A Widdershin sort of Time

Winter Solstice 2015 occurs tonight at 10:03 p.m. CST

It’s a widdershin sort of time, an unwinding, a releasing. A loosening of the grip on things I need to let go of.

Actual New Year’s Eve

It’s Winter Solstice, the … Read the rest “Winter Solstice 2015 – A Widdershin sort of Time”

21 December 2015
Finding Lost Fungi

I brought the camera today to get some photos of fungi I’d spotted a few days ago.

When I rode out with Rob the other day I saw the mushrooms on a log and figured I’d come back and get … Read the rest “Finding Lost Fungi”

18 December 2015
Looking forward to solstice

Pulled this one from the archives. It’s from when I worked in Bentonville, leaving before dawn and getting home after dusk. I hated that and am glad to be working from home now, but I still look forward to mid-winter’s … Read the rest “Looking forward to solstice”

15 December 2015
Killing Pretty Roosters

First I tried selling pretty roosters. Then I tried gifting pretty roosters.

Yesterday we killed pretty roosters.

It was my chore to pick which ones. I felt a bit like Kali (Goddess who is both giver of life and bringer … Read the rest “Killing Pretty Roosters”

12 December 2015
Inspired by Nature

Nature has inspired some pretty cool inventions. And lots of art. My guess is that Mother Nature is the muse to a lot of artists of all types.

How often do you see something in the natural world and marvel … Read the rest “Inspired by Nature”

10 December 2015
Looking back on 10 years of roughing it in the Ozarks – Happy Thanksgiving 2015

Many would consider us still roughing it. Life is a lot more comfortable here now, but we learned a lot about survival since we moved to these wild Ozark hills.

Our Wild Ozark Origins

When we first moved here to … Read the rest “Looking back on 10 years of roughing it in the Ozarks – Happy Thanksgiving 2015”

25 November 2015
Nature Workshop with Madison Woods

What happens at a nature workshop?

My nature workshop is designed to help you reconnect to nature and express your experience through art, writing, and photography. It can be tailored for whatever environment is available (even cities have nature), but … Read the rest “Nature Workshop with Madison Woods”

18 November 2015
Wild Ozark Journal: Autumn 2015

If you’d like the collection of sketches from Autumn 2015 on your e-reader, it’s available this week (Nov 16- 20) for free at Amazon.

17 November 2015
Wild Ozark Nature Journal on Kindle

What is a sketch / nature journal?

Sometimes nature writers like to doodle while they’re interpreting nature. My nature journal is a combination of art and written journal entry.

It is both nature sketching and nature journal.

Here are some sample … Read the rest “Wild Ozark Nature Journal on Kindle”

16 November 2015
Nature Writing at Hobbs State Park

This is a past event. If you’d like to book a workshop like this one, email madison@wildozark.com.

Nature is a treat for the senses but sometimes it takes effort to get past the immediate sensory input and experience a deeper
… Read the rest “Nature Writing at Hobbs State Park”

10 November 2015
First Freeze 2015 in the Ozarks

First Freeze

It was 30*F when I looked outside this morning near daybreak. Honestly, it was somewhat after daybreak. Yesterday’s fun with the grandkids wore me plumb out and I slept like a rock past my alarm.

Technically, the sun … Read the rest “First Freeze 2015 in the Ozarks”

9 November 2015
Sketch in Progress

I don’t always get to finish a sketch in one sitting. When I know time is short, I’ll take the camera with me and get a photo to use when I finish the sketch later.

Here’s the photo of the … Read the rest “Sketch in Progress”

9 November 2015
Symbols of Warmth and Sustenance

I brought the camera with me this foggy morning to capture some of the beauty that surrounded me in the hushed quiet of our little Wild Ozark valley.

When I came back in I sat on the porch and listened … Read the rest “Symbols of Warmth and Sustenance”

1 November 2015
Feeding critters under a gentle patter of rain

This morning I was feeding critters under a gentle patter of rain. There are times when I am tired or don’t feel like going out on my regular chore round, but for the most part I enjoy this part of … Read the rest “Feeding critters under a gentle patter of rain”

27 October 2015
Oct. 22, 2015 – Two Sweetgum Leaves for the Goodreads Giveaway

Goodreads Giveaway on October 31, 2015

I wrote a fairly long post about this sketch over at my main blog. This is one I won’t get to keep because it was done in the copy of My Nature Journal that … Read the rest “Oct. 22, 2015 – Two Sweetgum Leaves for the Goodreads Giveaway”

23 October 2015
Oct 18, 2015 – Old Rock Wall and Dead Leaves

I made a mistake on this one. This is an old rock wall and it continues in both directions for some length but in the sketch I didn’t give that appearance. What I should have done was draw some lines … Read the rest “Oct 18, 2015 – Old Rock Wall and Dead Leaves”

18 October 2015
Tangerine Sunrise, Goodreads Giveaway, Nature Sketching

When the sun rose high enough to top the trees it washed the hills in a tangerine glow. The trees are changing fast now and I really want to take pictures every day.

I have been drawing more often than … Read the rest “Tangerine Sunrise, Goodreads Giveaway, Nature Sketching”

14 October 2015
Nature Sketching Day 23- Wild Ginger

Wild ginger is one of the few remaining companions of the American ginseng habitat that are still green at this time of year.

13 October 2015
Nature Sketching Day 21- Down the dirt road in October

I’m not real good at trees and landscapes yet. I can do single items like leaves fairly well, but the larger view pushes outside my ability. Maybe with practice I’ll get better.

12 October 2015
Rain or Hallucination?

So brief it almost feels now like it was hallucination, rain fell this morning while I was out feeding the critters. The chickens were all like “what’s that wet stuff coming down from the sky?”

It’s been many weeks since … Read the rest “Rain or Hallucination?”

9 October 2015
Nature Sketching – Day 17 “Grape Fern and Fall Leaves”

It gets hard to find a subject to draw that doesn’t include dead leaves at this time of year.

I at first wanted to draw this pretty beech leaf nestled on a darker sycamore leaf, but decided against it in … Read the rest “Nature Sketching – Day 17 “Grape Fern and Fall Leaves””

7 October 2015
Nature Sketching Day 15 – American Ginseng in early October

I went out in search of beech drops for today’s sketch. I didn’t find any. On my way up the path toward the pond, though, I found something exciting.

Today’s nature sketch features American ginseng in early October. The leaves … Read the rest “Nature Sketching Day 15 – American Ginseng in early October”

6 October 2015
Beautiful Fall Misty Morning

There is a silence accompanied by a misty morning that is unlike anything else.

This morning I sat on the porch to have my morning coffee. The roosters refrained from crowing. The logging activity is either done or stopped for … Read the rest “Beautiful Fall Misty Morning”

5 October 2015