Watching a cumulus congestus transforming into a cumulonimbus endlessly fascinating. As soon as the upper regions reach the tropopause (the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere) they start to spread out, forming an incus, the well known anvil shape of a storm cloud.

I’m dreaming of doing this again. For the last few weeks the weather’s been too rough, but hopefully it’ll settle down soon. 🤞🏽 Soft pastel on Pastelmat.

I’m pretty sure I heard my first Redwing last night…

I haven’t created any art for a loooong time. My inner critic got too loud, causing me to abandon art entirely. But a few months ago I took up a new hobby - and whoosh! Inspiration flooded in, and I felt compelled to take up my soft pastels again. 🪂

Before the stormy weather passed through this morning there were some fantastic clouds around. An early show of Asperitas clouds gave way to a fiery sunrise. Worth standing in the rain for!

Gosh, I’ve been really rubbish at posting on Bluesky. Here’s a sketch of a Nightjar egg to say sorry.

LOOK WHO JUST FLEW OVER OUR HOUSE!

*Atmospheric Optics* ‘E’ is for Earth’s Shadow. Visible at twilight opposite the Sun, Earth’s Shadow is seen as a dark wedge on the horizon below the Belt of Venus. Its umbra extends 870,000 miles into space. It also gives us lunar eclipses. Total lunar eclipses turn the Moon bright red!

*Atmospheric Optics* ‘C’ is for Crepuscular Rays. These are the sunbeams which shine out from gaps in clouds. Particles in the air scatter the light and make the beams visible. This phenomenon is also know as ‘God Rays’, as if a celestial being is casting them out as a symbol of hope.

*Atmospheric Optics* ‘C’ is for cloud iridescence. This colourful optical phenomena appears on clouds close to the Sun or Moon. It’s caused by diffraction (small water droplets or ice crystals scatter the light) and is also called irisation, after the Greek goddess of rainbows, Iris.

*Atmospheric Optics* Today we move on to the letter ‘C’ beginning with a Circumzenithal Arc (CZA). This phenomenon is caused by sunlight refracting through ice crystals in cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. It looks like an upside-down rainbow & is sometimes called a ‘smile in the sky’.

*Atmospheric Optics* Still on the letter ‘B’, tonight I’m focusing on the Brocken spectre; the magnified shadow of an observer cast on a cloud opposite a light source. This shadow is surrounded by a halo known as a glory. It’s named after the Brocken, a mountain in Germany where it’s often seen.

*Atmospheric Optics* Time for the letter 'B', starting with The Belt of Venus. This atmospheric phenomenon is caused by backscattering. It's a band of pink seen close to the horizon during twilight. Look west before sunrise and east after sunset. The dark blue area below it is Earth's shadow.

I don't want to be on ghastly x anymore but it's where a lot of my sales come from so this post is a brazen request for shares to spread the word about my work on a kinder platform that isn't run by a dangerous megalomaniac! www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Sara... #selfemployedartist #ukgifthour #shopindie

*Atmospheric Optics* Time for aurora! In a nutshell, aurorae are produced when charged particles from the Sun interact with the Earth’s magnetic field. The different colours are caused by various gases in Earth’s atmosphere. It’s one of my favourite atmospheric optical phenomena - magical! ✨

*Atmospheric Optics* Apologies about this photograph, as it doesn’t showcase this phenomenon particularly well, but here are some faint anti-crepuscular rays. These beams can be seen opposite the sun, converging toward the antisolar point. They are caused by cloud shadows and atmospheric haze.

*Atmospheric Optics* Still on the letter ‘A’, tonight it’s Alpenglow, from the German word Alpenglühen, which means ‘Alps glow’. Alpenglow refers to the reddish colour seen on mountain peaks at dawn and dusk. Have you seen Alpenglow? Please share your pictures if you have, I’d love to see. ⛰️

*Atmospheric Optics* Another ‘A’ today - Alexander’s Band. If you look closely at a double rainbow, you’ll see a darker area between the primary & secondary bow. This is Alexander’s Band. It appears darker because light in this area is being scattered at angles which don’t reach the viewer’s eyes.

*Atmospheric Optics* Still on the letter 'A', today I'm sharing airglow. Airglow is caused by atoms & molecules in the upper atmosphere which, having been excited by sunlight during the day, emit light at night as they shed excess energy. This is called chemiluminescence. (Cont'd in alt text.)

*Atmospheric Optics* 'A' is for afterglow. As far as I understand it, afterglow refers to an intense red glow along the horizon after the sun has set. It's caused by dust in the stratosphere. This, near Lyme Regis, UK, is one of the best examples I've seen. Have you seen it, too?

Alphabet of Atmospheric Optics, anyone? Perhaps I should explain. I often photograph the sky yet most of my pictures are squirrelled away. But what better place to share them than on a platform called Bluesky? So, all this month, I'll endeavour to share my pics of atmospheric optics. 😎

Yesterday spellbound by a huge flock of finches—mainly linnet, with chaffinch, goldfinch & brambling too. Hundreds! Streaming to & fro between thick hedgerow & brassica-seed crop. The sight, the sound! Felt joy, wonder—& sadness. @kerriedoodles.bsky.social—all the thoughts & emotions (Linnets blog).

I will never not be amazed at the intricacy of Jack Frost’s masterpieces. This is the artwork he left on my car windows overnight. It’s a fractal marvelment!

Just heard my FIRST SINGING BLACKBIRD OF THE YEAR! 🎶

With my limited knowledge on such things, it seems to me that a lot of the UK has ideal conditions for nacreous clouds to form today. Has anybody seen any? And can any meteorologists confirm if I'm correct, please?

First lino print of 2025! I’ve had this idea scribbled on the back of an envelope for months now and I suddenly felt compelled to carve it out.

I was about to walk past this old, algae covered door when I realised that it’s been decorated, quite beautifully, by the mouths of feeding gastropods who’ve slowly munched their way across it. 🐌 #SciArt

I love a frosty dawn. My cycle to work yesterday morning was beautiful; every seed head and hedge decorated in hoary ice. I couldn't carry all my camera gear with me, and my phone camera didn't do it justice, so here's a photograph I took in similar conditions a few years ago.

Oooh! Come on Sun, let’s end this year with aurora (for anyone lucky enough to have clear skies.) 🌞

Well, this is it, day 24 of #ArtAdventCalendar. The final artwork I’m sharing is a pastel painting called ‘Going Home’, inspired by migrating geese. Happy Yuletide everybody. Thanks so much for all your kind comments over the past 23 days. ✨

I’ve heard a few snippets already, but today is the first day I’ve heard a Song Thrush properly belting it out and it’s the best Christmas present!

This is a lovely read. Well worth five minutes of your time.

Day 23 of #ArtAdventCalendar. I’m sad this is nearly over - it’s been great to see so much art on Bluesky. My offering this evening is a pastel painting from earlier this year, inspired by returning Nightjars in the spring. (Only 158 days until they’re back again. 😉)

Day 22 of #ArtAdventCalendar. Today I’m sharing a sculpture I made back in 2020 of a little Robin on a plant pot. He’s made of air drying clay and if memory serves me right, making those feet was extremely fiddly!

Day 21 of #ArtAdventCalendar, Winter Solstice. I watched the sun disappear behind these trees this afternoon. This charcoal drawing was created a few years ago, but the trees look just the same today. The same proud Oaks, silhouetted against the darkening sky. 🌙

Day 20 of #ArtAdventCalendar! This is a soft pastel and acrylic painting I made a few years ago. I thought it was finished, but I think I might add a small flock of Jackdaws to that open patch of sky…

Day 19 of #ArtAdventCalendar. Here’s a charcoal drawing called ‘Oldway’ I made a few years ago. It’s a route I used to run often. At this time of year, the sun would set on the brow of the hill, in the middle of the path between the trees. It was lovely. 🌞

Dear creatives. Please read this and email your MP. It’s important.

Bristol Short Story Prize now open for stories of up to 4000 words, judged by prize-winning novelists and a literary agent. Also winning stories published. Link below Please share. bssp.blogs.bristol.ac.uk

Day 18 of #ArtAdventCalendar. This is a miniature clay sculpture of a Black Throated Diver (also known as an Arctic Loon) which would easily sit in the palm of your hand.

Day 17 of #ArtAdventCalendar. Today I’m sharing a page of moths from one of my old sketchbooks. P.S. Is there really no moth emoji? That’s shocking. 😮

Day 16 of #ArtAdventCalendar. Sometimes, I rather like the way a linocut looks while it’s still on the block. This Nightjar is no exception. I carved it earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the process, especially all those itty-bitty details. 🪶

Day 15 of #ArtAdventCalendar. In honour of tonight’s full moon (known in December as the ‘Cold Moon’) I’m sharing this scraperboard piece. It was an experiment which first required me to ink the board with a brayer before adding more ink which I then scraped away to create the Silver Birches.

Day 14 of #ArtAdventCalendar. Today I’m sharing a soft pastel painting that I’m very fond of. It was inspired by a visit to a holloway near to our home on a misty winter day.

Day 13 of #ArtAdventCalendar. Bit of a blast from the past with this one. It’s a coloured pencil drawing I did for my Dad many moons ago of a Red Kite in flight. It took me quite a long time - there’s a lot of pencil layers in there!

Day 12 of #ArtAdventCalendar. I’ve made it half way! You might need to turn your brightness up for this one. It’s a Nightjar and Eyed Hawkmoth scraperboard image I created last year. Another one of my favourite birds, Nightjars. They’re absolutely awesome. 🖤

Day 11 of #ArtAdventCalendar. A few years ago, I made some miniature bird sculptures out of clay. Painting this Woodcock was good fun - that cryptic plumage of their’s is beautiful! I love the warm russet tones.

Day 10 of #ArtAdventCalendar. Here’s a pastel painting I created a few years ago called ‘Winter Woodcock’. I love watching Woodcock emerging to feed at dusk in the winter. They are one of my favourite birds in the world. ❄️

Day 9 of #ArtAdventCalendar - thanks for all the lovely comments I’ve had so far! I started lino cutting this year and immediately loved it. This is one of my first prints, inspired by a plucky Crow I met with bags of character. A few of these prints are available here: kerrieanngardner.co.uk/shop

Day 8 of #ArtAdventCalendar. This painted stone was inspired by ‘revontulet’, the Finnish word for the aurora borealis. It means ‘fox fires’ and comes from the old belief that the northern lights were created by a magical fox which swept glistening snow into the night sky with its tail. ✨ 🦊