Patty Waldbillig’s work merges writing and visual art through vivid storytelling. This collection uses eight paintings with text that tell a children’s story about a female snapping turtle, and how she safely leaves her eggs in the sand.

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“I have watched snapping turtles in northern Minnesota that seem fierce, and they have that reputation,” said Waldbillig. “But of course, if left alone they just quietly exist in the murkiest part of the lake and wetlands. They have few predators; mainly cars. I wanted to show a mother and what she might do to lay her eggs.”

 

Waldbillig has been drawing since she was a child, encouraged by her parents to draw with whatever materials were at hand, like scratch paper and #2 pencils.

 

Today, she enjoys drawing on the shore of a lake, and then adds watercolor and ink. She’s also inspired by the Minnesota writer and illustrator Wanda Gag (1893-1946), known best for the storybook “Millions of Cats.”

 

“I like to write,” Waldbillig added. “And my art leans in the direction of me telling a story and drawing the pictures I see I my mind to go with it.”

 

Waldbillig hopes that viewers will focus on the awareness and respect for all types of flora and fauna. “In nature it’s not always easy to see and understand beauty,” she observed. “It might take a little extra time to appreciate nature that is not visually appealing or familiar.”