In October I started keeping a nature journal. I share my process, journal pages, and why this is exciting for me.
Read moreNature Journaling
Nature journal pages studying the weather and some cottonwood leaves
Eating Flowers
Zine and fireweed flowers
I created a mini one-page zine about Edible Flowers in June for my Patreon supporters but I also wanted to share it more widely. Learning to Know Plants: This is something I am passionate about because it has been meaningful to me. During my childhood, I was a nature nerd who loved spending time in gardens and forests.
Read moreNew Flower Coloring Pages
New coloring sheets of Alaskan orchids
I love this time of year! If you’ve followed me for a bit you know I love walking through the forest in the spring and find all the different blooms. To celebrate I put together two coloring pages, featuring two of my favorite orchids from the McCarthy area, the Calypso Orchid who will be gracing us soon with pink clusters in the forest; and the Mountain Lady Slipper, which is much less common but quite stunning.
Read moreBodies of Water
Five Stories of Water from an Unusual Summer in Alaska: It was a unique summer in Alaska. The hottest and driest on record, after many other hot and dry, record-breaking summers.
Read moreSummer Solstice
Sunlight on the river at 10 pm, from my front yard
Happy summer solstice! Summer solstice officially occurs at 2:07 am Alaska Time. Where I live in McCarthy the sun will rise at 3:49 am and set at 11:17 pm for a total of 19 hours and 28 minutes of daylight. That contrasts with the winter solstice, where we have 5 hours and 22 minutes of daylight. Daylight gives us energy and makes us happy so it’s a reason to celebrate. You can use this daylight calculator to see how much daylight there is on a certain day of the year in your location.
Read more100 Glacier Cyanotypes, the start
This year I decided to participate in the 100 Days Project, a free, global project, hosted online where people do one creative act every day for 100 days. You can learn more about it on their website and see what other people are doing by searching under #the100dayproject.
Read moreHappy Solstice
My last post doubted the presence of winter. A week later it has gotten colder. We still just have a light dusting of snow, so you can't ski or really travel much by snowmachine (or at least I wouldn't), but it feels and looks like winter outside. So in contrast I wanted to share some photos from the shortest day of the year and the beauty that it holds. Happy solstice to all and happy winter solstice to those living in the northern hemisphere.
Read moreInspiration from Robin Kimmerer and the Language of Animacy
I share from Robin Kimmerer's book, Braiding Sweetgrass. I enjoy listening to audiobooks and podcasts while I work in the studio, and listened to this book last winter. It’s beautifully written, but also gave me quite a bit to reflect upon with regards to my own work...
Read moreIllustrating a Pop Up Book
The Adventures of Apun the Arctic Fox book cover
About two years ago, I started to work on an illustration project, which became the children’s pop-up book, The Adventures of Apun the Arctic Fox. The book is coming out next week, so I’m excited to share more about my adventures with Apun.
Read moreAdventures and Open Horizons
Sketching on the bow of the boat. Photo by Vince Hempsall
Last Monday I sat down at my desk and thought, today is the first day of my new job. I’ve had an exciting fall. After completing my artist residency at Joshua Tree National Park, (which I promise to tell you more about soon!), I came back to Alaska to scramble like crazy before leaving for another month to raft down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
Read moreSparrows Egg Orchid
Sparrow's Egg Orchids, Gouache and pen (2014)
I still remember the first time I saw a Sparrow’s Egg Lady Slipper, Cypripedium passerinum. Allison, who was then the kitchen manager at the Wrangell Mountains Center, pointed one out, and I was delighted that such a cool flower grew in the surroundings forests.
Read moreDrawing to Learn
Pixie Cup Lichens, 8.5 x 5.5", watercolor and pen
Why do I keep a sketchbook? There are many reasons, one of which is that drawing and sketching help me to learn about the world around me.
Read moreVariation and Repetition in Fall Leaf Color
A Guide to Fall Leaf Color of Quaking Aspen, 11 x 14" watercolor and pen
Variation and repetition in nature is interesting to me. The theme has an appealing aesthetic, but more importantly it also leads to interesting questions.
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