Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 161 - 5.30.16

For Memorial Day 2016.

Later, Gator! In all of its hardcover, final-copy glory :)

A great weekend of coaching kids at the State track meet was made even better when I came home to find a few early author copies of LATER, GATOR! Its always fun to see the final product and Sterling did such a nice job with all of the little things like color corrections, spot varnish on the cover etc. Personally, I'm also super happy about the patterned endpapers as well -- which extend the story just a bit in important ways for both the beginning and the end.

Give your local bookstore a call and give them a head's up for the July 19th pub date. They can place their order any time. Pre-orders are also available right now on Amazon and just about any place else that you could order online.

Ciao for now!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 160 - 5.27.16

Arctic Blues

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 159 - 5.26.16

#saveourseaice

Harts Pass No. 300!!!!!!!!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card No. 158 - 5.25.16

Astro Bears!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 157 - 5.24.16

If polar bears were farmers, I'm pretty sure they'd work in eastern Washington.

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 156 - 5.23.16

Yesterday was World Turtle Day... and I picked up where I left off with the adventurous little bear from last week. I'm liking these color washes too, so perhaps a few more like this to come!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 155 - 5.20.16

Another BIKE MONTH post to end the week :) Since Friday was "bike to work" day, this little bear gets to ride/read on some sort of sic-fi arctic snow-cat cycle -- or something like that!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 154 - 5.18.16

Polar bear cubs -- in nervous anticipation of another warm summer. Too little ice and too much swimming -- even for these most awesome of maritime mammals...

Harts Pass No. 299

As per usual, the crack reporting team over at the WBN (Wolverine Broadcasting Network) presents a spot-on synthesis of pop culture and environmental reporting!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 153 - 5.18.16

Celebrating BEAR AWARENESS WEEK with some adequately accurate depictions of our three North American species. From left to right: Grizzly Bear, Polar Bear, and Black Bear. Can YOU name several characteristics that set these critters apart? Visit the Defenders of Wildlife Bear Awareness Week page to see how much you know!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 152 - 5.17.16

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 151 - 5.16.16

Yesterday I sent my 151st Polar Bear Post Card to President Obama. It seemed like a fine time to reaffirm my commitment to the project... and to promise that I'll keep sending them until January 20th, 2017. And so it goes!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 150 - 5.15.16

 

Imagine a sub-adult polar bear cub... Born in perhaps November or December of 2014, this young bear has just emerged from his winter den for the second time. He will spend the next several months fine tuning his "bearness" - growing bigger and stronger with maybe a similar aged brother or sister. He is preparing the best way he knows how for life on his own. Next winter, he will be alone, and next summer he will struggle mightily to navigate an Arctic that is more unpredictable than ever before. Our combined efforts to reduce carbon emissions will make this world a friendlier place. Take your own #climateaction to #keepitintheground and help our President and the world create #monumentsforall #wearethearctic

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 149 - 5.14.16

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 148 - 5.13.16

"Bigger fish..."

... although technically these are both marine mammals - and can swim with the best of them!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 147 - 5.12.16

May is National Bike Month, so expect to see a few more cycling bears. You know, cutting down on their carbon emissions etc.. Ride on!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 146 - 5.12.16

Harts Pass No. 298

Another quick musing on the nation's first "National Mammal" - with wolverines!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 145 - 5.10.16

Congratulations to the American Bison - our first official National Mammal!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 144 - 5.9.16

Just shapes and patterns today -- plus a polar bear of course!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 143 - 5.8.16

On of the MANY lasting images from our trip to the Arctic last fall, was that of a mother polar bear standing boldly between her cub and a large adult male. She sensed him coming through an impenetrable fog, took a stance and stared him down. Yesterday, I painted this card for the President, and for moms: "Happy Mother's Day!"

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 142 - 5.6.16

No polar bears where I live here in Winthrop, WA, but we do have mountains, springtime sunflowers (arrowleaf balsamroot) and wolves. Washington's wolves have made a significant comeback in the eight years since the first verified pack at Lookout Mountain, but the balance between people and the natural world is constantly hard to strike. 

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 141 - 5.5.16

Yesterday's Cinco de Mayo bear -- with a serious nod to Oaxacan Folk Art from Mexico.

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 140 - 5.5.16

Polar bears, of course, and also Peter Brown's excellent middle grade novel, The Wild Robot, on my mind today. Gouache over acrylic making some nice background textures...

Harts Pass No. 297

The annual Sunflower Marathon, my spring track coaching, and a new book on the legendary Czech Olympian, Emil Zatopek, converge in this week's Harts Pass.

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 139 - 5.4.16

Apropos of "Star Wars Day," our carbon outputs have a direct relationship to the state of climate change. We (and the Arctic) are trapped in a vicious cycle -- ahem, ala Mr. Solo -- and we should support the President and his plans to limit emissions. May the 4th be With You! 

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 138 - 4.30.16

A teenager in the house as of this weekend... Look out world!