10.5” x 9″ ink, pencil & paint on heavy watercolor paper. 2019.

Yellow island is a 10-acre nature preserve in the middle of the San Juan islands archipelago, known for it’s epic spring display of native wildflowers. It also has a 1940’s homesteaders cabin and guest cabin built by Lewis and Elizabeth Dodd, who’s family sold the island to the Nature Conservancy in 1979. Since then an array of caretakers have made the off-grid island home. It also serves as a field station for UW Friday Harbor labs and the Nature Conservancy. The public is welcome to visit daily 10am - 4pm via boat or kayak. 

In 2019 I worked with the Yellow island caretaker and the Nature Conservancy staff to depict the seasonal flora and fauna of the island for new interpretive signage. Being one of my favorite islands, I’ve visited Yellow many times in my adventures. This was a dream project come true! 

In 2020 the Nature Conservancy featured my artwork in an online piece about the island. Because of world events, it wasn’t until 2022 that the new signs were erected on the island. Thanks to my house and studio build, it would be two more years (2024) until I was able to visit the island again to see the finished signs in person and then find the original artwork buried in my archives.