Above are the two works selected in Room to Breathe: The Wild Heart of the San Francisco Peninsula, a coffee table book celebrating 40 years of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Hopefully the book will be available as scheduled on November 1st!

I enjoy hiking at Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve which happens to be near where I live. It is a interesting open space with a variety of microhabitats in such a small area. On one of my trips I saw a poster inviting artists to apply to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District for publication in their 40th anniversary coffee table book. I sent in some artwork immediately and heard back in December 2011 that I was a semifinalist. Woo hoo how exciting!

I was then recently informed that in fact two of my drawings were selected for the final printing. Wow! The two works, Spotted Towhee and Wilson’s Warbler were birds that I spotted at that exact open space where I saw the poster.

On the hikes I carried a sketchbook and wrote down some notes about my observations along with some sketches. I used my notes as background texture around the colored pencil bird drawings. I remember the Wilson’s Warbler in specific because it was gathering insects to feed its young. It was perfect weather that day and I sat on a log and truly enjoyed the serenity if the moment. A great description to what I do in my work is to capture my observations through my use of line, shape, texture, color and space.

The book is described “as a community celebration that features photography, art, poetry, and quotations celebrating the beauty and diversity of our open space preserves,” more information can be found at: www.openspace.org/book/.

Amanda Krauss Avian Artist