(Canyonlands - Island in the Sky District - Grand View Point Overlook) This past weekend I arrived back in WI after 10 days on the road to Utah with plenty of stops along the way. We explored 5 different national parks in Colorado and Utah and spent a few days near Boulder, CO. I'm thrilled to share a little glimpse into this amazing trip through photos today and will probably ramble a little too much about certain hikes and experiences along the way (bear with me!!). I als

Intentionality! I certainly didn't come up with this - there is actually a whole movement around it - but I stumbled upon that movement after having used the hashtag on some instagram posts several times. At the time, I was using it to celebrate some intentional choices I made to do new things and shake up my day-to-day life (i.e. skydiving on a Tuesday after work). While that is still a huge part of its meaning, now I see it as a mantra for every aspect of life. It is so e

Hey there! This quote speaks to me in big ways!! As an avid hiker, someone who yearns for the solace of nature, a wildlife artist, sustainability junkie, supporter of renewable energies, and animal lover, it is important to me that I respect the natural order of Earth and try to limit the impact of my human footprint. Something so important in my personal life has, naturally, spilled over into my business life. So the reason we're here today - the third pillar of Melissa H

Asian Elephant | Elephas maximus indicus Quick Facts: Status: Endangered Height: 6.5 – 11.5ft Weight: around 11,000lbs Length: around 21ft Population: 40,000-50,000 As Asia's largest land mammal, the Asian elephant is smaller than its African counterpart, with smaller ears that they use to keep themselves cool by constantly keeping them in motion and a single 'finger' on the upper lip of their trunk (African elephants have a second finger). Their skin ranges from dark grey t

Big Carp River Trail - Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Photo taken on iPhone I am newly back from quite the adventure up in the Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and wanted to share some of the amazing things I saw and some of my reflections along the way. The title of today's blog has a sort of double meaning because, yes, I was on a short hiking and backpacking adventure out in the wilderness that can make one feel so very small (in what I b

Jaguar | 9x12 scratchboard Black Panther | 11x14 scratchboard Jaguar | Panthera onca Quick Facts: Status: Endangered Height: 25-30in at shoulder Length: 43-75in Weight: 79-211lbs Lifespan: 12 years Population: 15,000 in the wild Jaguars are the largest cat in the Americas. They range from Argentina in South America up to the Grand Canyon in the United States, though they have been almost completely eliminated from the northern most part of their range and are endangered in t

Happy Thursday everyone! Today, I want to talk with you briefly about achieving goals and just how hard that can be. I'm going to talk specifically about my journey starting a creative business, but really hope that anyone who is working toward a goal or reaching for a dream can relate! Personal goals and dreams usually stem from our passions and passion is exactly what is needed to fuel our journey toward success - however you choose to define it. Being over two years out

Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) Quick Facts: ENDANGERED Population: 40,000 (down from 60,000 just a decade ago) Height: 4 to 5 ft Weight: 73 - 180 lbs Arm Span: males may stretch their arms up to 7 ft Average Life Span: 30 - 40 years Habitat: tropical rainforest Range: Sumatra and Borneo (the only species of ape to come from Asia) Diet: fruit, leaves, bark, insects, and on rare occasions, meat The long-haired, orange primates are closely related to humans (sharing 97% of the same

Good Tuesday morning everyone! Today I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on a few things. First of all, I want to thank you again for your continued support. I am humbled, deeply honored, and incredibly excited to announce that I was named RAW Minneapolis Visual Artist of the Year - RAW is an international organization for artists, by artists and their mission is to provide artists in the first 10 years of their career with the tools, resources, and exposure needed to

Good morning everyone! Today is a very exciting day because this post will be featuring a number of wildlife conservation organizations that are in the running to be the sole beneficiary of the proceeds from the project I'm working on for this Spring!! (Hint: large collection of wildlife art + a chance for you to make a difference for wildlife and wild place conservation!) Please take a minute to visit the websites and educate yourself on all the great work being done to prot

With the launch of Melissa Helene Fine Arts and Photography at the beginning of 2015, I will not only be focusing on my 'fine arts' and 'photography', but also developing a third business initiative - Wildlife, Wild Places, & Conservation Awareness through artwork and photography! My work is greatly inspired and motivated by the natural places and creatures of this earth. I put all of myself into each piece that I create and I want to use my work for a greater cause. There

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) Average Weight: females - 5-8kg, males - 6-12kg Grouping: predominantly solitary with complex social hierarchies based on a dominant male with territory that overlaps several females and sub-ordinate males on the periphery Range: Australia - NE Queensland to Eyre Peninsula in the south Habitat: temperate, sub-tropical and tropical forests, woodlands, and semi-arid eucalypt areas Population: fewer than 80,000 in the wild, may be as few as 43,000

Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) "The bighorn sheep is one of two species of mountain sheep in North America." These animals range in color from light brown to grayish to dark brown and have a white rump and lining down their legs. The bighorn sheep is named for the large, curved horns of the males - rams. They are legendary for their ability to climb very steep and rocky mountains. Height: rams 3 - 3 1/2 ft, ewes are smaller Weight: 140 - 300lbs Length: rams 5ft 3in - 6ft, ew

Barbary Macaque (Macaca sylvanus) Average Weight: females - 9.9kg, males - 14.5kg Lifespan: up to 30 years Grouping: they live in troops up to 100 members Range: Gibraltar, Morocco, Algeria Habitat: Oak and Cedar forests Population: 8,000-10,000; Rock of Gibraltar - 230 living in 6 groups, Northern Algeria - only 7 small subpopulations that are separated by 50-200km, Moroccan Middle Atlas - the largest and most important to conservation Diet: Plants and insects (snails, worms

The Endangered Species Series showcases endangered and threatened species around the world through wildlife scratchboard artwork and education about the creatures. Wildlife and the natural world play a very important role in my work as an artist - they are my inspiration and now part of my motivation. I want my art to be more than just pretty pictures to hang on walls - I want it to have a greater purpose. I feel a responsibility to protect the world that inspires me every

In the last few months, scratchboard has become the main focus of my artwork. For those of you who have been following my work, this is a trend you may have noticed. If you're just coming across my work and this site, please take a look around and see what I've been up to here. I thought I might take a few minutes to write about the medium itself and why I've switched my focus from primarily pencil and charcoal to scratchboard. Scratchboard is not a new medium, but it is de