Harts Pass No. 293

As the creator of this comic strip and the scribe of occasional commentary therein, I will in no way shape or form be voting for anyone resembling this cartoon candidate. I would however, vote for this cartoon candidate before I would vote for anyone that he resembles. That being said, I will definitely vote, and thankfully NOT for a cartoon character. 

Ta Dah! The LATER, GATOR book trailer!

Hooray for my first official book trailer! LATER, GATOR doesn't publish 'til July 19th, but I'm excited to start sharing it around :) And much thanks to my daughter for the lovely sound track!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 116 - 3.29.16

There will, it seems, be bullies. A Polar Bear Post Card in the style of fellow children's book illustrator, Ben Clanton, and in homage to my first book, The Practically Perfect Pajamas.

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 115 - 3.27.16

"Bigger than we know..."

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 114 - 3.25.16

"Empathy"

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 113 - 3.24.16

"Gone..."

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 112 - 3.23.16

Tin Tin (in polar bear form) weeps - and Snowy growls protectively - for the victims of the Brussels attack. Pretty hard to believe that there is cause for a second polar bear post card with this theme, but perhaps the same connectedness that spreads the news of tragedy can also rally a world around better days ahead. 

Harts Pass No. 292

Paid for by GRRR - the committee to elect a Gracious, Reflective, Reasonable, & Responsible creature to higher office!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 111 - 3.21.16

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 110 - 3.20.16

Welcome Spring!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 109 - 1.19.16

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 108 - 3.18.16

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 107 - 3.17.16

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Harts Pass No. 291

It's true, the wolverines want nothing to do with divisive, fear-mongering politics. Enough said!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 106 - 3.16.16

A little slow in my post card production the week, but I'll still get five new images into the mail by Saturday. Today we celebrate the first new Alaskan butterfly discovery in 28 years. Welcome the Tanana Arctic (Oeneis tanana).

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 105 - 3.11.16

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card No. 104 - 3.10.16

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card No. 103 - 3.9.16

Harts Pass No. 290

Even more appropriate as we woke up to 4-8 inches of new snow this morning -- and now the sun is blazing its way to another 40+ degree afternoon. Oh yes, and the track season started on Monday, February 29th...

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 102 - 3.8.16

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 101 - 3.7.16

Back to work!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 100 - 3.4.16

100 Polar Bear Post Cards... and only about 215 more to go :) Join the fun and send the President one or two of your own!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 99 - 3.3.16

In the continued "Read Across America" theme for the week, yesterday was World Book Day. I think this works! Post Card No. 100 goes into the mail today and it will be live on the blog sometime Saturday morning. I mean, not that I have anything super special planned for my 100th card, but it IS the 100th and that certainly feels like a milestone :)

Harts Pass No. 289

A brand new feature for Harts Pass Comics -- It's "Tech Talk" with the Family Mustelidae!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 98 - 3.2.16

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 97 - 3.1.16

Happy Birthday Dr. Suess! And from the Lorax, some fine words for the Post Card Project:

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not!"

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 96 - 2.29.16

"Leap Day!"

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card No. 95 - 2.26.16

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL POLAR BEAR DAY!!!!!

Exciting for sure, and you can read all about it on the excellent Polar Bears International website. For the Post Card Project, what we have today are the five countries that are home to the world's 19 distinct polar bear populations. Some pretty great info over at PBI about which populations live on ice year round, which populations deal with rotating ice flow etc. Canada is home to 60% of the world's polar bears and thusly gets the larger flag :) Can you guess the other countries? Hint: Greenland, United States, Russia, and Norway (in no particular order).

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 94 - 2.25.16

For my 94th post card, I'm taking a little trip down memory lane -- to 1994 and the year that I graduated from college. Carleton was a great place. A small liberal arts school in south central Minnesota. Not exactly polar bear territory, and maybe not the typical start for a children's book author/illustrator, but it was an experience of community and friendship, participation and expectation that I wouldn't trade for the world. I walked away on that fine June afternoon with a Studio Art degree and a teaching certificate. Nothing "rockstar" and glamorous for sure, but a solid foundation built on something tangible, connected, and considered. From there, the skies the limit!

Harts Pass No. 288

Wolverines are AMAZING endurance athletes, traveling as much as 15-20 miles per day in search of food. That being said, they also do much of that travel at night and at high altitudes, so maybe they're pulling a fast one and sleeping more than we know :) GRRR!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 93 - 2.24.16

World's collide: Yesterday was "World Read-a-Loud Day" #WRAD16 and I just picked up a copy of the fantastic Pink is for Blobfish by Jess Keating (illustrated by David DeGrand). That being said, this little book 'o crazy great non-fiction would make the PERFECT read-a-loud for a celebration of polar bears -- so there you go!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 92 - 2.23.16

 Nanook in the Northern Lights -- a little experiment with gouache & ink.

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 91 - 2.22.16

This coming Saturday, February 27th, is International Polar Bear Day! I've had polar bears on the brain since about 1999 - even more so since last September. Check out Polar Bear International's  page above and then take 30 min or so to make a post card for the President - a gentle polar bear reminder of your own to protect the Arctic!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 90 - 2.19.16

Phew... January 2016 represented the 9th straight month of record breaking global warmth! It was particularly noticeable in the Arctic. When you're faced with a map like that... its a little hard to keep your cool.

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 89 - 2.18.16

"Adrift" A continued series from yesterday's card.

Harts Pass No. 287

A Canadian mining company is looking to do some exploratory drilling on the northwestern edge of our Methow Valley home. The Forest Service has yet to approve their request, but the Community is rallied around the cause. 'No thank you' open pit copper mines, and good luck finding your way to the $$$.

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 88 - 2.17.16

"Waiting..."

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 87 - 2.17.16

The world? The environment? The climate change discussion? Take your pick. GRRR!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 86 - 2.16.16

An extra day off from posts due to travel over the long President's Day weekend -- but the Arctic can't catch a break. Recent new items detail toxic algal blooms that have potentially killed off hundreds of birds and assorted whales as more open water leads to more light beneath the surface and thusly more potential for such algae to spread even further north. Can effects to polar bears populations be far behind?

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 84 & 85 -- sort of!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 83 - 2.10.16

Alas, the Supreme Court recently put the White House's carbon pollution limits on hold. Thusly, despite President Obama's best intentions, the hands of progress are currently tied...

Harts Pass No. 286

Happy (almost) Valentine's Day!

Later, Gator! Jacket Art!!!

OK, this might not be totally, finally, and absolutely the final version... but its getting close enough to share! On the final day of little tweaks and nudges to the book and I really couldn't be happier with the way that its all turning out. And Gator, reserved and shy as he may look right here, can't wait to say hello in early July! Thank you Sterling Children's for making him look so great :)

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 82 - 2.9.16

In the style of Pogo by Walt Kelly. The tagline is Kelly's from a poster for the original Earth Day in 1970 and was used again in the comic strip for Earth Day 2.0 in 1971. Although the Pogo-styled polar bear here is starring at an oil rig, the original intent goes much deeper and appropriately broader. For the most part, corporations and politicians are only giving us what we demand. We do have a say with what we purchase and who we elect -- duly noted with today's NH primary -- and we can have an impact.

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 81 - 2.8.16

Congrats to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos -- the first professional sports team that I was able to call my own after moving from Anchorage to Denver in 1983! Apropos of protecting the 1002 and Alaska's Coastal Plain, sometimes a good defense is the best offense. Super Bowl 50, 100 Years of National Parks, 200 victories for Payton Manning. Get 'er done. GRRR!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 80 - 2.5.16

It was our September trip to Kaktovik that started this project. And it's still there. Barter Island and Kaktovik, Alaska. On the edge of the Beaufort Sea. Due east of Prudhoe Bay and the epicenter of oil development on the North Slope. The value of the Coastal Plain untouched is FAR greater than it is with oil rigs and drilling platforms.

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 79 - 2.4.16

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 78 - 2.3.16

Like a mix of the polar bear and a grizzly, the Spirit Bear or Kermode Bear received recent favor in light of further and substantial Canadian protections of the Great Bear Rainforest. Good on 'ya Canada! Kind of like the President potentially adding further protections to the Arctic National Wildlife refuge... where a choice can be made in favor of the environment over continued exploitation of resources.

Harts Pass No. 285

I completely forgot about posting last week's strip... so here you go! Always amazing to me how in certain ways the wildlife can make living in the mountains look so easy. I'm sure that its harder than we think, and that they have different ways to register their own feelings of cold and hunger, but still... 'Zip, Zip, Zip!'

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 77 - 2.2.16

"Please take care of this bear"

If Paddington had been a polar bear - and had one last snowball in his jar and traveling case.

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 76 - 2.1.16

Tele turns with a Bear. A blur of GRRR!