The Raven, the Fox, and the November Woods
There’s something about the woods in November that makes me want to pay closer attention.
By now, much of the bright autumn color has worked its way down from the trees to the forest floor. The oaks are still hanging on to some of their leaves, stubborn as ever, and the acorns are scattered along the trails. The woods are opening up again, revealing the shapes of branches, old stone walls, and little places that were hidden behind green leaves all summer.
It’s also the time of year when the ravens seem particularly noticeable. Maybe it’s because their dark feathers stand out against the thinning trees, or because their calls carry farther through the woods. Whatever the reason, they’re hard to ignore.
And then there’s the fox. Unlike a raven, a fox is an animal I’m much more likely to find evidence of than actually see. A flash of rust-colored fur disappearing into the brush would be enough to make an ordinary walk considerably more interesting.
Those two woodland characters inspired November’s Wild Mug Club illustration.
Two Woodland Characters and a Few Oak Leaves
For this month’s artwork, I brought together a raven perched on a branch, a red fox looking back over its shoulder, and clusters of oak leaves and acorns in their changing autumn colors.
I like the contrast between these two animals. The raven is dark, watchful, and impossible to mistake for anything else. The fox has that wonderful rusty orange coat, a sweeping tail, and an expression that makes you wonder what it’s been getting into.
Both animals have collected their fair share of stories over the centuries.
Ravens appear throughout folklore as clever creatures, messengers, tricksters, and keepers of secrets. Foxes have a reputation for cleverness, curiosity, and their ability to find ways out of difficult situations. Neither animal needs much help from a storyteller to seem interesting.
I wasn’t trying to illustrate any particular legend with this design, though. I simply liked the idea of bringing two of the woods’ more intriguing residents together, surrounded by the oak leaves and acorns that are such a familiar part of autumn here in Virginia.
The oak leaves also give the illustration a bit of that in-between feeling November has. There’s still color, but it’s changing. The greens are fading into reds and browns, and the acorns have already begun their journey from the branches to the ground.
A Little Bit of the Woods for Your Morning Coffee
One of the things I enjoy about creating artwork for Wild Mug Club is thinking about how an illustration changes when it becomes part of an everyday object.
An art print hangs on a wall, where you might stop and look at it occasionally. A mug gets picked up, carried around, washed, filled again, and taken along for whatever the day has in store.
I rather like that.
My own mornings usually involve coffee, a collection of things I need to get done, and at least a few thoughts about what I’d rather be drawing or where I’d rather be wandering. Having a bit of the natural world on something I reach for every morning feels appropriate.
And November seems like a particularly good month for a mug featuring a raven and a fox.
The mornings are getting colder. The days are noticeably shorter. There’s a good chance I’ll be reaching for another cup of coffee before I’ve accomplished half of what I intended.
The raven and fox can keep me company while I figure it out.
November’s Wild Mug Club
This month’s Wild Mug Club design features my hand-illustrated raven and red fox alongside autumn oak leaves and acorns, inspired by the wildlife, woodland colors, and changing landscape of the Blue Ridge.
Wild Mug Club is my way of bringing original nature-inspired artwork into something useful, a small piece of the outdoors that gets to be part of your ordinary day.
And while I certainly hope this mug becomes a favorite for morning coffee or afternoon tea, I also hope the artwork makes you a little more curious about the creatures living in the woods around us.
You probably won’t encounter a raven and a fox posing together beneath an oak tree. But you never know what you might notice when you spend a little more time looking.
