Tale from the Scraggle Wood
There are old growth forests where the trees have never known the buzz of a chainsaw, or the crush of booted feet. Places where the air is full of enchantment and honeyed sunlight.
This is not one of those forests.
​
At home in abandoned alleys, the Scraggle Wood pushes into the neglected areas of town taking back, reclaiming, rewilding. These pockets of wildness, of nature unkept, are the places where stories happen. They are the places that nourish wildlife, and if we let them, our wild selves.
​
Journey with a tiny girl who collects Moss as she helps the forest spread in The Tale of Tiny Moss Collector...
Discover what awaits at the top of a crumbling stair in Stairway in the Woods...
Learn what happens to a newly planted tree once twilight has fallen and most are in their beds in The Planting of the Oak...
Meet the Mosslets, the Ink Maker and Grandmother Duster along with many others in the art and stories of Tales from the Scraggle Wood.​​
​​
Tales from the Scraggle Wood is a collection of art and stories inspired by urban wild places. The book includes fully illustrated stories and field note style pages exploring the Scraggle Wood and its inhabitants.
​
​​
​
The Story Behind the Book
Tales from the Scraggle Wood started in my sketchbook. A doodle here, a scribbled line there, and always the belief that wonder lurked just around the corner, waiting to be noticed.
​
I received a community art grant from Iowa BeWild ReWild to explore the idea of finding wonder in urban wildness. But no project is complete without being shared. Especially one so dear to my heart. So I collected the short stories and art and designed a book.​ I ran a Kickstarter campaign to fund publication. The book was featured under Kickstarter's Projects We Love and successfully funded. It was published in 2023.
Wings, Thimble, Thorn
Have you ever been faced with two choices, neither of them what you truly want?
This is the story of a girl who finds herself in an unknown wood. A girl who dares to look for the choice not offered. Wings, Thimble, Thorn is a short story, evocative of Hans Christen Andersen, with a touch of Grimm. The darkly whimsical illustrations complete the story and reveal truths of their own, instead of merely mirroring the text.
The story follows Oona, as she journeys through the Scraggle Wood, looking for a way to fulfill her heart’s desire. I can’t say much more, you’ll have to discover the story for yourself. Dare you enter the Scraggle Wood?
Wings, Thimble, Thorn is an illustrated short story.
​
The Story Behind the Book
The art and story were originally created as part of Folktale Week, a seven day art challenge on Instagram. The art received an enthusiastic response which was very encouraging because I'd always wanted to illustrate a fairy tale. I felt there was more to Oona's story so I expanded it into a 32 page illustrated folktale. Then I took a deep breath, and ran a Kickstarter campaign to help me bring the book to life. After a successful campaign Wings, Thimble, Thorn was published in 2021.​
​
The darkly whimsical illustrations were created by layering watery washes of acrylic paint.