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"...Seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought."
-Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
PROJECTS
We all miss snail mail and getting something in our mailboxes that is just for the pleasure of connecting with a friend. This lost art form is the focus of my interest. Each month, I present a new project that involves connecting to nature or scientific study and communicating my experiences from the wild in the form of letters. Each one has an intricately illustrated and hand-addressed envelope. The illustrated letter inside is one about scientific discovery and philosophical rumination that brings in thoughts of all the great writers, poets, and songs in a cleverly written way. Tucked inside are little gifts , maps, and field notes related to the topic at hand from my expeditions. (*Newest letters contain all original artwork gifts.) I also commission work on unrelated topics. Contact me if you have an interest in my work. See a compilation of a year's worth of work below. All of the following were created for personal use. Field Station is committed to being more environmentally sustainable and uses recycled papers, eco-friendly inks, and compostable sleeves.
January Letter: New Adventures for a New Year
This month's letter is about famed Biologist, Charles Darwin, and his trip aboard the HMS Beagle to the Galápagos Islands, where he discovered finches that would spark his idea about the theory of evolution. This letter focuses on new beginnings for a new year and the excitement and trepidation it brings. Some intriguing references to Herman Melville are also included. This snail mail includes an illustrated envelope and letter, and lots of little gifts inside including a card (The Best Card Company), papers, and stickers. This project was inspired by the book Field Guide to the Birds of the Galápagos by Michael Harris, published in 1985.
February Letter: Love is Transformative
This is a letter about love and chemistry and focuses on the mystery of the unusual alchemical symbols above the door at Wetherill Hall at Purdue University. The story also talks about Nobel Laureate Herbert C. Brown, a chemist of organoboranes and professor at Purdue, and his sweetheart Sarah. This story incorporates interesting quotes, Cole Porter song lyrics, and Harry Potter references. Inside is a map of Purdue, lab notes, stickers, a photograph, and a chemistry valentine. The chemistry stamp is one of the best finds of all to complement the theme.
March Letter: Feeling Lucky?
This month's letter is about the concept of luck. How is luck described in different cultures? What makes a person lucky? This letter talks about these things and about how luck has played a part in scientific discovery through the work of Microbiologist Alexander Flemming and his discovery of penicillin. A petrie dish and other lucky symbols illustrate the envelope and letter. Little gifts include a postcard (DuxFeminaFactiDesign), stickers, and a photo of a lucky ladybug. This letter was inspired by the interesting work of microbiologists who have made major contributions to science.
Birthday Letter: Nature Explorers
When you have great friends who deserve more than an ordinary greeting card, you have to come up with something special. This letter comes with lots of illustrations and little gifts inside. These include a frog post card, stickers and stamps, a bookplate, and a wind up flying butterfly. The letter is handwritten for a personal touch. The nature theme was inspired by their love of travel, hiking , and photography in the National Parks.
April Letter: Hope is the Thing With Feathers
This month's letter is about birds and our National Month of Hope in April. This letter explores the studies of amateur Ornithologist Phoebe Snetsinger and how she found hope through birding. The envelope and letter are illustrated in birds in a nature journaling fashion. Included are book plates, bookmarks, a card (BradSneedStudio), and stickers. Stamps are winter birds and tulips. There are references to everyone from Emily Dickinson to Reggae singer Bob Marley.
This letter was inspired by a trip to Colorado where I discovered Magpie birds wherever I went. They were curious birds, spending much of their time on the ground searching for food. These crow-like birds were seemingly unaware or uncaring of the presence of people around them. They are mostly black, with a blue-green iridescence on their wings and tail feathers.
May Letter: Planting Seeds
May's letter is all about flowers and the beauty of spring. This letter discusses the idea of planting seeds both in one's self and in others. It is also about Smithsonian Botanist Vicki Funk and her passion for scientific discovery- she discovered the Funky Thistle! She also shared her knowledge and planted seeds in others. This letter and envelope are illustrated in flowers and are hand-addressed. Each contains lots of little gifts, including seeds, stickers, and a card (Barnes & Noble). This letter was inspired by a trip to Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia, in Canada. It is probably one of the most marvelous public gardens that exist in the world.
June Letter: The Outer Limits
The focus of June's letter is on graduations, endings and new beginnings, Purdue Astronaut Janice Voss, and the idea of not being limited on one's journey of becoming who you want to be in life. On the Indiana theme are quotes from Kurt Vonnegut and lyrics from Hoagy Carmichael, among others. The envelope and letter are illustrated on the theme of space with a Sally Ride stamp. Lots of fun gifts are included- a Hubble image card (The Best Card Company), stamps, celestial stickers, papers, photos and quotes. Inspiration for this project came from a graduation that was near and dear to me in my world and a visit to the Purdue University Aerospace Department.
Photos are taken from a trip to Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Pictured is a replica of the ill-fated Apollo I lunar module seen in the glass-walled Neil Armstrong Aerospace Engineering Building. I just happened to take this picture on Astronaut Gus Grissom's birthday, April 3rd. Pictured on the right is Grissom Hall, also at Purdue University, which houses the the School of Industrial Engineering.
July Letter: Diving Deeper
This letter arrives one month after World Ocean's Day, but in time for National Marine Week. It is about the ocean and going deeper in life in order to live fully and understand our world and its challenges better. It is also about Friday Harbor and University of Washington's Marine Biologist Adam Summers, "The Fabulous Fish Guy." He was a consultant on Pixar's Finding Nemo and Finding Dory. There are many sea life illustrations, a map, and field notes. Gifts that include a card (RarePrintEmporium) and stickers are tucked inside. Coral reef and Eugenie Clark stamps further decorate the front of the envelope.
A trip to Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park, Washington, led to interesting discoveries in the tide pools- star fish, sea urchins, and crabs. A whale-watching trip around the islands in Puget Sound near Seattle, WA was the inspiration for this ocean letter.
August Letter: We are All Connected
August is a month of summer bugs and so it only seemed fitting to talk about it in a snail mail letter. This letter talks about insects and the amazing Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. The topic focuses on research by staff in insect diversity to determine the health of wetlands. Understanding our interconnectedness with insects as pollinators and decomposers and learning about how we are all apart of this great big ecosystem where we are dependent on one other is the main theme. There are lots of fun movie quotes from A Bug's Life and Star Wars. Included are a map, field notes, stickers, and a bug card (Nussay Art). The Colorado Hairstreak butterfly stamp complements the theme.
September Letter: Cycles of Life
This might be my favorite project because it was unexpected that I would enjoy studying and learning about fungi so much. We walk right past them on hikes, but a closer look shows that they are beautiful in their many shapes and colors. September is the month of the mushroom and it is a fun time to explore the forests for them. The theme of this letter involves our natural cycles of life- birth, death, and rebirth and relates it to the natural cyclers of nutrients of the forest, the mushrooms. It also features the work of mycologist and author of children's stories, Beatrix Potter, and her life. Lots of illustrations and poetry are included.
October Letter: Creatures of the Night
This month's letter is about our fear of the dark, night creatures, and researchers who study the effects of light pollution on the behaviors of nocturnal animals. This features illustrations of bats, owls, and wolves and includes some fun extras such as cards (by Vicky Barone) and stickers. This was inspired by our visit with Soarin' Hawk, a raptor rehabilitation center for birds of prey, and meeting a Screech Owl. We also had a chance meeting with an American Great Horned Owl.
November Letter: A Season of Gratitude
Tis the season for giving thanks and this letter is about the autumn, the importance of living a life of gratitude, and at trip to the Gene Stratton-Porter Historic Site at Wildflower Woods on Sylvan lake in Rome City, Indiana. Gene Stratton-Porter was an early 20th century writer (A Girl of the Limberlost, Freckles), naturalist, artist, and conservationist. Her view of the natural world, focused on the simpler details of life, inspired a letter that fits the month's Thanksgiving theme. It includes lots of little illustrations, a map, field note sketches, a photo of her orchard, stickers, and a card (fungi forest by Lorna Clark).
December Letter: Peace in Solitude
December is a cold and sometimes lonely month as nature is quietly tucked away for the winter. The moon is our silent companion as we seek peace and tranquility this time of year. This month's letter is about the moon and Neil Armstrong's lunar voyage. We are reminded that as we gazed into the heavens that day the Eagle landed, there was a friendly face looking back on us-- a reminder that we are never truly alone. This letter comes with a free card with an image from the Hubble Telescope, stickers, and washi tape. Sally Ride and First Moon Landing stamps complete the theme.
