After arriving at the island of Staffa and climbing the steep stairs to the top of the cliffs, I was greeted by the enchanting sight of hundreds of puffins hanging out doing their puffin thing at the cliff edges. Besides being adorable- they are smaller than I expected and so colorful!- the puffins on Staffa also have a lovely way about them that inspired this illustration. I learned something important from one of their particularly fascinating traits...

I have been thinking a lot recently about my lifestyle; the choices I make in how I live and how they have changed over the years. For a while these thoughts were just about me and my immediate needs- what I need to do to make sure my kids, animals, and house are taken care of and how to allocate resources in the best way to do that sustainably. In doing that however, I have recently begun to look at these choices more carefully through a lens of global sustainability and how my lifestyle choices affect animals in particular. 

In the last two years as I was beginning on my conservation art path, I would do one piece and have 50% of that piece go to an organization related to the subject matter. That seemed like a good idea...and it was..., but over time it’s gotten more complicated with some designs being used for prints and notecards and also because some pieces take a very long time to find their person!

As I result, I am changing up how I do my donations. Instead of picking a different organization for individual pieces, I have chosen five organizations to support and I will divide up 50% of my profit equally between them. That works out to be 10% of my total take home per organization. ❤️

There were two things that happened in the fall that completely changed the trajectory of my art, in a way that was both surprising and which felt like coming home at last. The first was that I participated in my first Inktober challenge on Instagram. For those who don't know what that is, it's a challenge to post a drawing in ink every day in October and using the related hashtags to follow along with other artists participating. After doing the 30 in 30 in September and realizing I was having fun trying new materials, I thought it would be fun to try pen, so I picked up a small set of four pens at the art shop before October.

Well...what I thought would just be a fun exercise, turned into a whole new direction!

The Adventures of Prickle and the Fairy- Installment 6 - Prompt Insect

The cottage garden was quite a place and he had much fun! As for Clare, hedgehogs are pure enchantment, so following Prickle on his garden adventure proved to be magical indeed.

The Adventures of Prickle and the Fairy- Installment 5 

After Prickle had (more than) his share of cucumber sandwiches, he sat with his feet up in the corner of one of the cottage's cozy arm chairs. 

"Thank you for a delightful tea!" he said. 

"You are most welcome!" said Ellen. "You have been such wonderful guests. You have truly honored us by visiting our home! I know that fairies and hedgehogs are most discerning and don't enter the homes of just anyone!" 

"That is true," agreed Esmeralda, "most humans never see woodland fairies, but your daughter is charming and the fact that she could hear us was intriguing enough to lure us out of hiding. It's a most unusual trait."

The Adventures of Prickle and the Fairy- Installment 4 (Prompt: WITCH)

The group had a lovely tea and wonderful conversation (how handy it is when everyone can understand each other). Afterwards, Prickle asked if he could poke around the cottage a bit.

"I'd love to see what's here," he said, looking at the herbs hanging and the various things placed about the small space. It was cozy and homey and the food had made Prickle feel oh so warm and he wasn't quite ready to go back out into the bright sun. Hedgehogs, when they feel safe, can be nosy creatures (in the best way) and are interested in what other folks keep in their homes. You can learn a lot about someone by looking at the things with which folks choose to surround themselves.

As he nosed about, sniffing and looking, he spied something shiny on a table in the far corner of the room. He tried shimmying up two different upholstered stools to gain a better vantage point for viewing, but realized he was going to need assistance if he was going to get close enough for prime viewing capability.

“So who taught you to speak to animals?” Prickle wanted to know.

“My mom”, Clare replied. “She’s always talking to them. She feed the birds in her garden and seems to chat with any animal that goes by. Even the crows! Crows might be one of her favorites. She says they really like crackers.”

Expecting the little girl to pass by Prickle and the fairy waited in their hiding places, but they were soon surprised to hear the footsteps stop on the path between them.

“Hello?” a small voice said.

The fairy slowly peaked over the edge of the leaf behind which she hid. The little girl had stopped directly in front of her and was looking around.

The prompt for Day One of Folktale Week is FOREST. I drew a pinecone I had taken a photo of when I visited Yellowstone National Park in October, but knew there needed to be more. This is FolkTALE Week and so I challenged myself with coming up with a story for each day of this challenge. I initially thought I would write a (very, very) mini story for each drawing, but once I got going on todays story...it was clear that it was just installment one of a longer story. 

So without further ado, I present: 

The Adventures of Prickle and the Fairy- Installment 1 (Prompt: FOREST)

Sitting on the branch of a great oak tree, the fairy giggled as she looked across the forest path. Her new friend Prickle was undetectable, having taken quickly to the art of camouflage and shape shifting. They had been practicing together all morning. The fairy delighting in the idea that a hedgehog could be something else entirely- or at least appear to be something else entirely. Prickle’s quills were now indistinguishable from a common pinecone.

To get my creative and storytelling juices flowing this week I am participating in Folktale Week! I will be following the prompts and I also hope to make up a mini story with each. (Really, REALLY mini haha). I will be posting the first prompt- which is FOREST- later today.

(Above Art by Jennifer M. Potter)

Part two of my interview with primatologist Melissa Ongman. We talk about her work with the Chimpanzee Conservation Center, orphaned chimps, and...what WAS that sound in the forest?!

Part one of my interview with primatologist Melissa Ongman. We talk about her work with the Chimpanzee Conservation Center, orphaned chimps, and...what WAS that sound in the forest?!

The grasses crinkled as I sat down quietly to wait. The small animal garden at Earthfire institute was sunny but chilly, as a small group of retreat goers waited to be introduced to our animal ambassador for the afternoon- a remarkable coyote named Faerytale. As we waited I could feel the excitement of all the people around me- we were all here to experience and learn from these amazing animals and we couldn’t wait to find out what Faerytale had to share with us...

I felt a pinch near my eyebrow and brushed my hand past the area, thinking it was some kind of small flying insect. I was busy working on my iPhone 

while my kids played next to me on the school playground after school.

Pinch. Swipe.

Pinch. Swipe.

What WAS that? ...

Sometimes, when a place has been with you and has shaped you for a certain length of time, you start to really feel the 'personhood' of that place. Many indigenous communities around the world have always felt something like this- giving the land it's own personality and 'being-hood', but I think that in the western culture we lose that sometimes.

That doesn't mean that the land doesn't affect us deeply, but I think that we don't always realize how much or how deeply.

Until we lose it- and we grieve.

"When we feel connected with other living beings and respect for the systems that support them, and us, we make entirely different personal and political decisions" - Earthfire Institute

We are all connected. Everything we do spreads outward, to a degree that most of us could not comprehend even if we tried. We may not feel overly connected to a predator such as a wolf, but in reality we are deeply, deeply connected.

My painting, Spirit Walker, is my contribution to the story of our connectedness with all things. This wolf is everywhere yet nowhere. She is alone, yet with all things. Grounded with the Earth, yet also seamlessly connected with Spirit. She wants to connect with you, to share with you her story and her magic. Will you let her?

I have a confession.

From a young age I was fascinated by the Earth. Animals, plants, rocks- pretty much anything I could find outside- but especially animals. I loved spending time with them, learning about them, and drawing them. Even as a child, I knew that I wanted to do more to help...