In the studio with artist, photographer and instructor Robert Louis Caldwell

“The Stand” Marabou Stork Graphite on 300# Arches watercolor paper, mounted to 1/2" maple panel and varnished 11 x 6 inches These are such odd birds, and some would say ugly; I find them disturbingly beautiful. With its bare head, hunched shoulders, and skinny bare legs, the Marabou Stork is often referred to as the Undertaker. Not only for the way it looks but also for its vital role in the ecosystem. They eat carrion and clean the land of dead animals. Although I will stop to photograph these birds anytime when I am in Africa; my 2016 safari-inspired this particular scene. I was in the Serengeti and up and about before sunrise, in the Land Cruiser slowly driving and scanning the early morning terrain for movement. The sun was starting to hit the tops of the trees, and up ahead, I noticed a form in the top of a dead tree, a Marabou Stork. We stopped and sat back as the sun illuminated the top of the tree and brought the Undertaker into full view. That scene, for some odd reason,

  “Frog Legs” Saddle-billed Stork Graphite on 300# Arches watercolor paper, mounted to 1/2" maple panel and varnished 9 x 14 inches “Frog Legs” is the first drawing I drew in my Stork series, a Saddle-billed Stork. It is a beautiful bird to watch in the wild they seem sleek but comical with their movements on those long lanky legs. They have a bright red bill with a black band and a yellow frontal shield which looks like a saddle. As for most people, 2020 was a challenging year; for me, to put it simply, it was a loss of a business that I had been building for the last six years. I found myself in June 2020 realizing that my art school was most likely not going to survive the pandemic, and I spent the rest of the year working through the process of closing a business. During this time, I did not paint or draw except for instructional purposes for those students who followed me to online instruction.  In January 2021, I found myself able to focus on my art again. I decided to start