The day I drew this picture, I knew I wanted to draw clouds. I also yearned to be close to the water. So I ended up at the well-worn vista overlooking Susitna. I quickly drew the basic composition so I could have time drawing the clouds. Once I figured out that little dots were the way to go, the clouds began to create themselves on the paper. They took most of the rest of the time. I was grateful that the magpie showed up, very stern indeed, and just a couple feet from my face, to add an element of interest. Appropriately, he is semi-transparent because his presence was fleeting, if powerful. The other signs of life were airplanes taking off and landing at the Anchorage International Airport, and a lone small watercraft whizzing by in the distance.