Spring at the edge of Yellowstone National Park

coyotes at a wolf kill

Living at the edge of Yellowstone keeps you close to nature and aware of the cycles of life. It feels more 'raw' here, and I like that.
The first week of May, brought snow to the banks of the Yellowstone River. It does make for a beautiful landscape. Also, this week, wolves killed an elk in the Gardiner River a couple miles away in the Park - which brings in scavengers of all sorts and makes for amazing wildlife viewing. This is Spring in our neighborhood....


ravens at the wolf kill

Plein Air studies

These studies were painted at just about the same spot in Shields Valley - one last week, one this week. With the weather so different, I thought it could be interesting to paint from a similar vantage point and compare them. For me, plein air painting is a great teacher of how the light and different weather affects the colors and tones in the landscape. And what a beautiful landscape to try to capture in paint! While I was painting, I watched a pair of bald eagles and saw my first flock of white pelicans of the Spring fly through. And on my way home, I saw a pair of sandhill cranes and a flock of bluebirds - sure signs that Spring has arrived in Montana.