Update from a Substack-free Universe

1. Where (and When)

2. In the Sketchbook

3. Discovered While Sketching

4. Because of Sketching

5. Who Inspires Me

Ben and I spent March, April, and May continuing a multi-year, self-propelled, northbound adventure from the tip of South America to . . . ??? Note: If we’re headed for Alaska, at the current rate, we might not finish until the next century. Previously we had traveled by mountain bike, but this year, we continued entirely on foot (no wheels! except when we had to get to a bank or resupply by bus). We spent 70 days following Jan Dudeck’s Greater Patagonia Trail, an informal collection of GPS routes in the mountains along the Chile/Argentina border: glaciers, volcanoes, indigenous communities, and subsistence farmers within a larger dramatic landscape that I have never (!) seen in an REI catalog.

Since returning to Hoonah, I have been art-ing full time:

As well as hiking, mountain lake swimming, — and learning a bit about home improvement.

On the 3-month trip in Chile, I created a 22”x30” foldout accordion poster documenting the botanical abundance of the Valdivian rainforest. Here’s an image from mid-trip. The finished version is waiting by my scanner for the next step: reproductions for sale.

Since June, I’ve been working on pages for a medicinal plant harvesting guide for a new local business run by indigenous entrepreneur Yakw Xwaan Tláa Lisa Andersson. She plans to use the harvesting guide to share traditional information with community members who will gather the plants. It’s a wonderful idea that will promote traditional knowledge and offer employment.

As a result of Claire Giordano's Ink Sketching course in February, I dove deep into pen and ink work, learning to use a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen.

Last winter, I finished the video courses and live practicum for my Nature Journaling Educator’s Certificate through the Wild Wonder Foundation. This summer, I’ve been working on the required stewardship project.

Because of Sketching

On March 28, 2025, the Sustainable Southeast Partnership published a version of my October 2024 Substack post as Seals, Science, and Sustenance. It also appeared in the Juneau Empire and on May 15, in their annual magazine Woven. Select p. 54-55 on the flip-through.

The Sealaska Heritage Institute included my illustrated article, "‘Our Food Is Our Medicine’: Xunna Celebrates 6th Annual Traditional Food Fair” in the Raven Writes curriculum.

Who Inspires Me Currently

Suzanne Stryk, author and illustrator of The Middle of Somewhere: An Artist Explores the Nature of Virginia (Trinity University Press, 2022). Her lyrical essays interspersed with sketches really speak to me. For example, in response to the question of whether or not a certain lizard is commonly seen, she says, “In my book, wonder doesn’t rely on whether a species is common or rare. What matters is that a discovery reels me in to glimpse another world. What matters is seeing freshly. . . Which means seeing like a child. That’s the perk of being an artist: fascination unhindered by what others may dismiss as commonplace.” (p. 99)

The whole book was inspired by an earlier project she did. As a contemporary response to Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia, she created a collection of large collages built onto topographical maps. Thanks @rosaliehaizlett for recommending this book in The Nature Art Book Club on Substack.

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