Rainforest Studies,
Plein Air Pen and Ink
One of my favorite pastimes is to sit in a forest with a pad of paper and a rapidograph pen and record the convoluted habitat in pure black and white. Everything from black shadows to white light, from gray shading to thin vines- must all be described with the point of a pen. It's a challenge, and going without a preliminary drawing in pencil is like flying by the seat of my pants.

Each of these drawings took as many as three days to execute, working on site and around bad weather, insects, reptiles (a coral snake was nearly sat upon), playful giant weasels and any number of birds at close quarters. My aim was to convey the profusion of life in the tropical rainforest and my pleasure at being in it.

All of these were created in Panama and Costa Rica over a period of around ten years, and this is an ongoing and probably lifelong project. One drawing has been published in a book by Dr.Egbert Leigh about the Barro Colorado rainforest. Another has been exhibited in the show, "Focus on Nature" held 2006 at the New York State Museum. The rest are in a bound book which I take along to the tropics like an old friend, and which grows more precious to me with each trip.