Trading Cards #1-5

A encyclopedic writing & illustration project

I’m writing to you from a warm and special October day to share the start of a new series. I’m hoping to share these in groups of five for a long while (forever?!), and am really excited to be starting today.

About Trading Cards

Trading Cards is an illustration and writing project that connects me to the other living things around me, cementing experiences and encounters into journal entries and paintings. Each card is based on meaningful relationship—new or lifelong. The cards reflect each subject’s place on Earth, my feelings and adventures among them, and my respect for them. While most of my cards tell stories of the natural world, the potential of this project’s subjects is limitless. For the purpose of sharing here, the text has been transcribed. The paintings are based on my own photos and memories.

#1 Gray Catbird

Dumetella Carolinensis | Logbook: Hillsdale, NY (2024) | Category: Songbird

“I like this bird because of it’s presence. It’s not so subtle. I hear the insistent, garbled mewl nearly everyday. Despite it’s inelegance, its presence makes it beloved to me in ways we don’t usually celebrate.”

#2 Chicken of the Woods

Laetiporus Sulphureus | Logbook: Davenport, NY (2024) | Category: Mushroom

“Practically nothing else in the forest glows with these incredible colors. Meeting & celebrating species that were not even on my radar a year ago helps remind me of how much changes. Thanks to this mushroom for its beauty, abundance, deliciousness—and the thrill.”

#3 Wild Violet

Viola Sororia | Logbook: Hillsdale, NY (2024) | Category: Plant

“Violets are the sweetest little early spring flower; they help deliver us from winter hibernation and soothe us from the cold. While I don’t know exactly why they call to me, it might be that their colors range across all my favorites—so rare in plants. Yummy, too.”

#4 Bluegill

Lepomis Macrochirus | Logbook: Canaan, NY (2024) | Category: Fish

“I love the other name for this kind of fish: sunfish. Because they live in shallow, sunny waters, I’ve been able to sit by the shore and watch them. They collect rocks, sweep away debris, make little nests to protect. Then, they watch each other, turning in circles—a neighborhood of suspicion.”

#5 Timber Rattlesnake

Crotalus Horridus | Logbook: Millerton, NY (2024) | Category: Animal

“Encountering this snake was scary & thrilling. I felt some disbelief. Was I really hearing the shrill, piercing rattle? Seeing the long, thick body slithering across the stones? Now, I feel grateful I got to meet one of these endangered creatures & see it on its way.”

*All paintings shared this month are done with acrylic gouache and colored pencil on paper.