In Antelope Flats to the east of the Grand Tetons, it was early morning. The day was just beginning to heat up.  My wife, Kaye, and I were doing a slow crawl in our jeep through the bison herd. With no fence between us and the protective cows or the randy bulls, we wanted to be alert to potential danger. 

In any sizeable bison herd there are always hot spots of activity. Sure there is a lot of just standing around and the congregations of cows and calves focused only on the business of eating and grooming.  What attracts our attention this morning is a bull about a hundred yards to the north who seems to have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. He is snorting and pawing the ground like a badger with a migraine.

I’ve been looking for action scenes of wildlife. I want to do more drawings with energy and excitement in them and fewer with the Grand Monarch just chewing his cud. So, I’m in favor of getting a little closer to the bull. Kaye isn’t so sure.

As we start to edge away from the cows and a calf, I hear this scratching sound and moans of pure pleasure. I look over my shoulder and not twenty feet away there is this calf scratching his chin on an old fence post. The bull with the mad on is just going to have to wait. He can’t compete with pure cute.

My drawings don't start on my drawing board. Being primarily a wildlife artist, my work often starts on a field trip. Sometimes, these are planned and focused trips to places where I hope to see animals. Then again, I never know when I'll stumble upon a compelling subject while on a local walk with our German Sheppard, Storm.  

Just the other day, an intense wind storm had blown down huge bunches of colorful leaves. One maple leaf I picked up caught my attention because of how the multiple colors merged into each other. Right away, I started pondering how I could draw that leaf. Sometimes the best inspiration comes by surprise. This walk lead to the drawing Falling Leaf which is my November special.  

I also make a concerted effort to be where wildlife live and to be outdoors early and late in the day when sightings are more likely. One of my best ever field trips was touring the Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge last spring. Our hope was to witness the mighty Sandhill Crane migration in southern Colorado. 

If you've never seen thousands of birds in one place, it is hard to imagine the magic of this field trip. The level of activity was awesome. Birds were flying into the field, out of the field, eating grain, dancing in pairs, and most of all squawking very loudly. Their very distinctive red spots and large size made it easy to see these birds without field glasses.  

From this outing, I've already drawn three major pieces - Dancing Cranes, Powwow, and Hunter's Blind. These drawings have become very popular because people across the country share my job of seeing these magnificent cranes.  

My wife calls these works my "touch of color" period because I just had to add the distinctive red marking that is so characteristic of the Sand Hill Cranes. They are still mainly graphite (pencil) works with just a little colored pencil highlights.   

People often want to know how an artist gets inspiration. For me, it's as simple as a walk down the street or as exciting as a trip to the national parks. Then the challenge begins ... trying to convey through art what I have seen and felt.

Have you enjoyed a field trip recently? If you would like to look at my drawings that result from field trips, please check out my newly updated site,  J Sullivan Art.