Honoring My Mother

Barn Owl

Last May I meant to write a Mother's Day blog post as I did the year before .... but life was busy at the time.  Now, about six months later, I think I'll do something along that line.  To be honest I haven't been in the mood to write a regular blog post.  I was so ready for the election to be over ... and, now, even more disturbed by how unsettled the political world is right now.

We went to the Klamath Basin right after the election.  I hardly drew a thing and wrote few notes.  At least on our recent day-trips I've been burying myself in sketching again and I'm sure the words will soon fly.  It isn't like me to be in a funk.

Danny Gregory, a well known sketch artists who has worked through difficult times has a good comment on the subject in his recent post:

Don't fear change.  Create ways to change with it. 

Maybe we all need to work at little harder at nurturing the changes we want to see happen.  

Bald Eagle

Back to the reason for this blog:

Even though my mother, Fran (Frances) Hamerstrom died eighteen years ago, memories of her influence are alive and well.  Earlier this spring the Wisconsin Historical Society published a book for young readers call "Fran and Frederick Hamerstrom: Wildlife Conservation Pioneers"  -- by Susan Tupper.  

A Baby great horned owl ... like one I raised as a child.

And more recently the October 2016 Raptor Research Foundation held their fifth anniversary convention.  Two young women, Katie Harrington and Rebecca McCabe, organized a panel entitled "Women in Raptor Research: Trailblazers for the Next Generation."  They asked me if I'd be willing to donate a piece of art for each of the panelists.

At first I thought, "Oh my gosh, no!"  But they gave me lots of warning and I made a point of not committing until I knew I'd really get the paintings done.  It was nice to hear there are active raptor researchers who appreciate my mother's influence.  I did seem like a nice way for me to honor my mother and the efforts of these women. 

My mother and her golden eagle

... and for those of you who don't know who my mother was I'll just put a little thumbnail here.  For more look her up and read her books. 

My mother was born a Boston debutant, but she happily gave up the fancy East Coast life for a lifetime of ornithology with my father, Frederick Hamerstrom.  From 1949 until their deaths they lived in a pre-Civil War house without plumbing and studied prairie chickens for the Wisconsin Conservation Department (now called the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) ... and they did a lot of raptor research in their spare time.  My favorite of my mother's books is, "An Eagle to the Sky." 

A peregrine perched along the Oregon Coast

and here are the rest of the paintings:

another great horned owl

A pygmy owl ... fairly common in western Oregon

Another great horned owl ... do you think they might have a special place in my heart?