BACK from BRAZIL

Hello everyone........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................I've been away from the blog for a few months! Traveling to the Brazilian Pantanal and then coming back and going right into teaching High School Art again---It was a whirlwind including a few art shows in there too. I'm getting a handle on managing my time once again now that the free time of summer is over.**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Many of you have seen the dozens of photographs from Brazil of the wide variety of wildlife we encountered at close range but the highlight of our trip was the four JAGUAR encounters. Three males each larger than the one we saw the day before and finally, our favorite, "Patricia" the female JAGUAR that was tailed and observed for over two hours as she hunted along the river banks. We were only a few feet away when she stalked and attacked a six foot Caiman and fought it in the water. She also ate a Cormorant while we watched and then jumped off a huge tree branch over the river not ten feet from our small boat on to a four foot Caiman, which she lost in the deeper water. Imagine how lucky we were to experience such amazing events with such an elusive magnificent animal. The other amazing animal encounters were the many discoveries of the families of Giant River Otters and NeoTropical River Otters.*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************I hand delivered the "TAPIR and BABY" painting to SOUTHWILD PANTANAL and now my painting will be hanging at the Eco-Lodge in the Brazilian Pantanal. I am also currently working on more of our South American Wildlife paintings, including, A Giant River Otter with two species of Kingfishers painting and a Brazilian invasive species-the Water Buffalo and rain forest painting. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Other NEWS: MY "Rhino and baby" painting won an HONORABLE MENTION at the National Lone Star Guild Art Show at the WOODLANDS WATERWAY back in JULY. I've rotated some of my Gallery paintings at the Melange Gallery in Friendswood and have a few pieces in the upcoming Humane Society Festival booth. In September I have two paintings, including my SCARLET MACAW on METAL, in the NSA competition at the Brazos Center for the ARTS. The FALL ART FESTIVALS are approaching and I am making decisions on which ones to attend. Hope to see some of you at some of those events coming up. Thanks for reading my ramblings. DOUG HISER