Meet Michelle
Hello, I’m Michelle, the artist behind Trail Skipper Studio in Oregon City, Oregon.
I spend a lot of time outside with my camera. Birds are a favorite subject, but fungi, plants, and other small discoveries can stop me in my tracks, too.
My greeting cards begin with those encounters. Through digital art and hand-printed linocuts, I try to capture what caught my attention—the bird’s expression, an unexpected color, or a moment I want to remember.
My Process
My work begins outdoors, with my own photographs of wildlife and the details that catch my eye.
In the studio, I work with those photographs in different ways: layering them with color and texture, using them as references for digital illustrations, or developing designs to carve and print by hand. The finished artwork becomes a greeting card.
Golden-Crowned
Sparrow
A sweet backyard visitor during the depths of winter. I was inspired by the Golden-crowned Sparrow’s quiet resilience and the bold streak of yellow atop its head. These charming birds bring life and warmth to an otherwise dreary winter landscape.
Western Bluebird
I photographed this Western Bluebird near Stone Creek Golf Course in Oregon City. Her blue wings and warm peach-colored breast inspired this linocut, which I later hand-tinted with watercolor.
A Barn Owl Named Twig
I met Twig at a PERCH Wildlife Education event in Oregon City. His heart-shaped face and beautifully patterned feathers made him a wonderful subject to photograph.
For this design, I layered my photograph with a hand-pulled monoprint, letting its colors and textures become part of Twig’s portrait.
