Day 5086: Artist, Marsha Godoy-Schindler & Himalayan Snowcock.

"Journal spread": ballpoint sketch & junk paper collage.

 

                                                                       

Want music?

    Click: Leon Bridges, Steam.

2GN2S

Artist, Marsha Godoy-Schindler.

From a distance, it looks like a tree trunk... but take a closer look, and you'll discover a face whispering a story." This isn't wood—it's clay brought to life by artist Marsha Godoy-Schindler.

Inspired by nature, Marsha transforms clay into breathtaking sculptures where tree bark seamlessly blends with expressive human faces, reminding us that people and nature are deeply connected. Every crack, texture, and carved expression tells a story of time, memory, and our roots.

Before dedicating herself to art, Marsha worked as a marine biologist. Today, she combines her scientific curiosity with artistic imagination, creating ceramic sculptures that celebrate the beauty and mystery of the natural world.

If you stood in front of this sculpture, what would you notice first—a human face or the spirit of a tree?

#WomenInArt #MarshaGodoySchindler #CeramicArt #CeramicSculpture #ClayArt #ContemporaryArt #NatureInspired #TreeArt #SculptureArt #WomenArtists #ArtLovers #CreativeProcess #NatureAndArt #ArtistSpotlight

   

High above Nevada's treeline, an unexpected resident from the Himalayas has quietly thrived for more than six decades.

In the early 1960s, wildlife managers introduced the Himalayan snowcock to the Ruby Mountains after recognizing that the region's rugged alpine landscape closely resembled the bird's native habitat in Pakistan and neighboring Himalayan ranges. The first shipment proved difficult, with only one bird surviving the journey from Pakistan to Nevada. Encouraged by its survival, additional birds were imported, and in 1963 the first successful group was released into the mountains.

Over the following years, more than 2,000 Himalayan snowcocks were released in the Ruby Mountains and nearby East Humboldt Range. The population eventually became self-sustaining, and today hundreds of these remarkable birds continue to inhabit Nevada's highest peaks.

Weighing up to seven pounds, the Himalayan snowcock resembles an oversized partridge with gray plumage, a white throat, and distinctive chestnut markings. It thrives on steep rocky slopes, alpine meadows, and rugged cliffs, spending each day slowly climbing uphill while feeding on grasses, seeds, roots, and other mountain plants before gliding back down the slopes in the evening.

The species has become legendary among birdwatchers and hunters alike. Spotting one often requires climbing thousands of feet above the treeline, where the birds blend almost perfectly with the rocky landscape. Many visitors hear their distinctive whistling calls echo across the mountains without ever catching sight of them.

Today, the Himalayan snowcock remains one of North America's most unusual wildlife stories—a Himalayan mountain bird that found a permanent home among the rugged peaks of Nevada.

 

  

 

A 1+ minute video, Miumiu sings, here.

 

 

Just because ...

 

Yellow-billed Stork / Painted Stork

Tuesday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you feel all the good things in your day.