GreenClimbFly

"In the past year, I’ve paid rent in five places in four states, climbed in another 10 states, deep-water-soloed in Mallorca, established new routes in Namibia, and belayed my first 5.15, in Spain. I travel so much my friends ask me where I’m going next instead of saying hello."
So writes Majka Burhardt, in an article for Climbing that I was asked to illustrate. One of the main points of the article was the author's aspiration to be 'green', at odds with the huge carbon footprint she was creating by constant travel around the world. The piece ended up being very conceptual, in my attempt to show the different players in the author's inner battle between environmental responsibility and her pursuit of adventure. It's not immediately obvious, but the background tones were created by layering a scan of the backside of an old Romanian map behind the inked art. I thought the fold lines were a cool detail.
The illustration will appear in the 'Whipped' section of the February issue of Climbing.

Below is the original concept sketch that led to the final art.

Mountain Mishaps

"What could possibly go wrong? Like hundreds (maybe thousands) of climbers before us, however, we soon learned that the seeds of tragicomedy are sown with seemingly inconsequential decisions."

I recently illustrated eight vignettes of comedic mountain accidents compiled by climbing legend Dougald MacDonald. I received the assignment while on a climbing trip in Germany and the Czech Republic...and the deadline was close. I had come prepared with brush pen and Moleskine, and, laying apartment-bound in Prague awaiting the snows to recede at Elbsandstein, I had a good opportunity to make some art. My limited tools forced me to make quick and loose sketches, a few of which ended up in the final art.

The article is out now in the December issue of Climbing.


A few examples:

Reluctant Hero

Illustration for "The Reluctant Hero", a piece by Bill Dwyer, about the choice to rescue a stranded climber on Aconcagua.

"I was coming down from Aconcagua's summit for the third time this year when I saw the guy face down in the snow, in a whiteout at 22,000 feet."

Out right now in the October issue of Climbing, in the Roadkill section.