For one reason or another, I find myself continually drawing mammals. My most recent series features European rodents, small carnivores, and bats, which I created exclusively for a consulting agency.
These drawings are used in the environmental impact assessment reports produced by Ecosensys, as well as in various presentations and even in court cases. I feel honoured that my artwork can contribute to the protection of important animal habitats!
Wild mammals are all around us, yet they can often be elusive, especially in the area where I live in Slovenia. However, today (as I write this), the landscape is a bit different, as a fresh blanket of snow covers the ground, revealing the footprints of deer, foxes, and even bears and wolves!
Through my drawings, I aim to showcase these remarkable mammals and share their stories with you!
The Dormouse House holiday cottage is a unique 18th-century building that has been preserved as much as possible in its original state. We chose this name because of the thick walls made from natural rocks, which effectively block out all sounds. As a result, it’s wonderfully quiet, allowing you to sleep peacefully—just like a dormouse.
Dormice are renowned for their long periods of sleep, hibernating for more than seven months during the winter! I created this drawing to introduce our guests to the appearance of dormice, as encountering live dormice in the forest can be quite rare.
You can find more information on the house, and book it for your holidays at https://dormousehouse.eu/en/
Did you know that there’s a small island in Croatia where zebras, zebu cattle, and even an Asian elephant reside? This unique location was once home to the private zoo of the late President Tito of Yugoslavia, who received these animals as gifts from state leaders around the world. Today, the zoo and safari still exist and are open to the public.
As a consultant, I assisted in planning the future of the safari. For the covers of my reports, I illustrated the animals we were discussing. Perhaps one day, all these species will return to the island? Even now, several exotic species, including zebras and zebu cattle, are direct descendants of the late president’s animals.
More information about the Safari park: https://www.np-brijuni.hr/
Project Thuja was Slovenia’s first nationwide education initiative focused on invasive alien species, running from 2008 to 2009. This project was followed by Project Thuja 2 in 2012-2013 and then Project LIFE ARTEMIS from 2016 to 2020. For Project Thuja, we created an exhibition featuring posters and interactive elements that were displayed in schools across the country.
Each poster explained different aspects of invasive alien species, and accompanying the title, I illustrated Nana the Muskrat—a cartoon-like character who gently made light of the subject matter. Interestingly, muskrats themselves are an invasive species in Slovenia.
The original project website has undergone many adaptations and updates and was ultimately replaced by the website for Project LIFE ARTEMIS.
While Nana the Muskrat may now be largely forgotten, I still smile when I see my old drawings, which is why I’m delighted to showcase them here.
Near the Kočevje primeval forest, there is a small exhibit of posters that illustrate various aspects of the forest. One of the posters features a drawing of a domestic cat sitting side-by-side with a lynx. I originally created this drawing for a different exhibition focused on the biology of lynx in Slovenia, as part of Project LIFE LYNX, which was later succeeded by Project DINARIS.
Currently, only the illustration of the lynx alongside the domestic cat remains on display. My cat Biba, who served as the “model” for the drawing, sadly passed away at an advanced age of 17 years.
I have a passion for identification guides! When the European Commission began to ban several potential invasive alien species, the need for effective identification arose. It was a great honour for me to contribute drawings and part of the text to the identification keys, which are still available online on the website of the Slovene ministry.
In hindsight, perhaps it was a bit ambitious to include all squirrel species that are potentially in trade across Europe …
