Nesting Chipmunk: Work in progress. Scratchboard, 7 x 5 in. Copyright 2008, Tania Nault.
Can any Canadian who grew up in the late 60′s and 70′s hear a flute without thinking of the opening notes of the Hinterland Who’s Who television vignettes? I know I can’t. Those haunting notes and the deep, reassuring baritone of Canadian naturalist John Livingston were guaranteed to stop whatever game my brother, sister and I were playing on the living-room floor and transport us momentarily into the Canadian wilderness. There we would visit with animals we had never seen, like the far-away Muskox, or more common local creatures like the Chipmunk. I’m not sure how politically correct it is for a wildlife artist to admit that television influenced her, but those little animal movies sure helped me form an early connection with parts of nature I otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to see.
For those of you denied the wonder of this of this marvelous piece of Canadiana, or for those in need of a trip down memory lane, the Canadian Wildlife Service webpage contains a video archive of the vintage clips as well as a library of the videos aimed at a new generation of future wildlife lovers. I highly recommend them.
As you can see from the above, I spent what little art time I had today working on my Chipmunk for this little board. I figure I can easily add the background after my trip to the museum on the weekend. (I’ll also be putting the finishing touches on Promy – tune in on Monday for the final update.)
For a more complete story on the Chipmunk, why not visit the Canadian Wildlife Service Hinterland Who’s Who page on the Internet?
