Ink and acrylic on May, 1955 Field and Stream magazine. Bottom right corner and head, cut-out

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

I had started in on the third page of my magazine project yesterday, adding areas of paint and going over the layout in my head when I decided I needed to get out and get a whiff of fresh air. I jogged down one of the many bike paths that weave around Ft. Collins and as I turned a corner I saw a huge field filled with geese. There were easily over 100. Gaggles of geese are everywhere around this town and yet I still feel surprised when I come upon a group this size. The geese were feeding and resting and had very little they felt they needed to tell me, so I continued on my jog.

After a short bit I turned around to head back to the studio. As I passed the geese again, I saw a guy walking directly toward them. My imagination went wild. Was this guy a goose whisperer? Or did he plan to run and scream at them? Was he going to pull out a gun and begin shooting? Did he think he could catch one? I was beyond curious.

It turned out to be rather uneventful. The man continued his course directly into the gaggle’s path, but seemed to have no interest in the birds. He simply wanted a shortcut to his destination. The geese took flight, honking all the while – a sound that made me think of what it must be like to listen to hundreds of bagpipes each playing completely different songs. At that moment I remembered the image I had just been working on and knew I had to create the goose chaser.