Collect the Trail. One Envelope at a Time.

Once a month, a hand-packed envelope arrives in your mailbox filled with art, stories, and little discoveries from Wild Ridge Studio.

Inside you'll find a finished art print inspired by the Blue Ridge, a small watercolor from whatever I've been exploring at the paintbox, a monthly illustrated calendar card, a surprise Trail Treasure, and a personal Field Note from me.

Trail Side Post is more than artist mail. It's an invitation to slow down, notice the little things, and collect something meaningful from each passing season.

Every edition begins somewhere outside. It might be a curious bird I stopped to photograph, mushrooms tucked beneath a fallen log, wildflowers growing along a back road, a frog beside the creek, or something one of my dogs noticed long before I did. I bring those moments home, where they eventually find their way into my sketchbook, my watercolor practice, and the finished artwork I create at Wild Ridge Studio.

Each envelope becomes a little snapshot of what I'm seeing, making, and noticing that month.

What's Inside Every Edition?

Every month is different, but there are five things you can expect to discover when you open your Trail Side Post.

The Art Print

At the heart of every edition is a 5×7 fine art print featuring original Wild Ridge Studio artwork.

These are the finished pieces. The illustrations that started with a photograph, an observation, an idea scribbled down after a walk, or something I simply couldn't stop thinking about once I got back to the studio.

Each print is chosen for the season and designed to become part of a growing collection of artwork inspired by the landscapes, plants, wildlife, and little moments I encounter throughout the year.

Frame it, prop it on a shelf, add it to a gallery wall, or tuck it safely away with the rest of your Trail Side collection.

A Little Watercolor

Lately I've been earnestly learning watercolor, which means there are frequently little animals, plants, fruits, mushrooms, and whatever else has caught my attention scattered around my studio.

Rather than keeping all of those experiments to myself, I'm sharing one with you each month.

Your envelope will include a small original of one of my recent watercolor studies. It may coordinate with the month's main artwork, or it may simply be something I've been fascinated with and wanted to paint.

These aren't meant to be another perfectly polished collection. They're something more personal: a little glimpse into what I'm learning, experimenting with, and creating simply for the joy of making art.

The Monthly Calendar Card

Every edition also includes an illustrated calendar card for the month ahead.

Designed to be useful and worth looking at, the calendar features artwork or motifs from Wild Ridge Studio and can be tucked onto your desk, pinned to an inspiration board, or stuck on the refrigerator.

Collect them throughout the year and you'll eventually have twelve little snapshots of the changing seasons.

A Surprise Trail Treasure

Then there's the part you won't know about until you open the envelope.

Every edition includes a Trail Treasure, a small surprise chosen or created to complement the month.

One month you might find an illustrated bookmark. Another might bring a vinyl sticker, magnet, postcard, mini print, recipe card, coloring page, nature observation card, or something I haven't thought of yet.

That's part of the fun.

A Personal Field Note

Finally, there's a note from me.

Every Trail Side Post includes a personal Field Note sharing a little of the story behind what you're receiving.

Sometimes I'll tell you about the walk that inspired the month's artwork. Sometimes I'll share what's been happening in the studio, something I've been thinking about lately, or the latest ridiculous thing one of my dogs has done while we're supposed to be hiking.

The Field Note is the piece that ties everything together because Trail Side Post isn't only about receiving artwork. It's about sharing some of the places, stories, experiments, and ordinary moments that led to that artwork in the first place.

One Thing to Keep. One Thing to Use.

One Thing to Notice.

That idea is still at the heart of Trail Side Post, even though there's now a little more tucked inside the envelope.

There will always be something to keep, whether that's the finished art print, your growing collection of little watercolors, or both.

There will always be something to use, from the monthly calendar to whatever Trail Treasure finds its way into that edition.

And there will always be something to notice, because the Field Note and the artwork are ultimately an invitation to pay a little more attention to the world around you.

The best part of nature isn't just seeing it.

It's learning to notice it.

Every Collection Begins on the Trail

Before there is a finished illustration, there's usually a walk.

I spend countless hours exploring trails, back roads, forests, fields, and quiet corners of Virginia with my dogs. I'm constantly stopping to photograph things, which I'm sure is thrilling for the dogs when they thought we were actually going somewhere.

Sometimes I come home with an obvious idea for a new piece. More often than not, I come home with dozens of photographs and no idea which tiny detail will stick with me for several days.

That's how much of my work begins.

I don't sit on the trail sketching everything I see. I observe it. I photograph it. I take it home with me in whatever way I can, and then I explore it further once I'm back in the studio.

Trail Side Post gives me a place to share more of that process instead of only showing you the polished thing at the very end.

Every envelope is a small collection of what I've been noticing and creating lately.

A Collection That Grows With You

Trail Side Post isn't designed to be opened once and forgotten.

It's meant to grow.

Month after month, you'll build a collection of finished artwork, little watercolor studies, calendar cards, Field Notes, and unexpected Trail Treasures that follow the seasons throughout the year.

Display the prints. Save the watercolors. Use the calendar cards. Put the stickers on something. Actually use the bookmarks instead of putting them somewhere "safe" and immediately forgetting where that safe place was. Keep the Field Notes if the stories mean something to you.

There isn't a correct way to collect any of it.

My hope is simply that, months or even years later, you'll come across one of these pieces and remember the season when it arrived.

Is Trail Side Post for You?

You'll probably feel right at home here if you:

Love original botanical, wildlife, woodland, and nature-inspired artwork.
Get ridiculously excited about beautiful paper goods.
Still enjoy receiving real mail.
Appreciate seeing the imperfect, experimental side of an artist's work alongside the finished pieces.
Find yourself stopping to photograph mushrooms, birds, flowers, interesting leaves, rocks, or quiet places.
Love little surprises that are actually thoughtful rather than more clutter.
Believe some of the smallest discoveries are the ones worth remembering.

Your Trail Side Post Membership

Every monthly edition includes:

One 5×7 fine art print
One Originial Watercolor art card
One illustrated monthly calendar card
One surprise Trail Treasure
One personal Field Note

Get the Trail Side Post

Frequently asked questions

Trail Side Post is a monthly collectible artist mail experience from Wild Ridge Studio.

Every month, you'll receive a hand-packed envelope featuring an original fine art print, a surprise Trail Treasure, and a personal Field Note inspired by my time exploring the Blue Ridge and the quiet beauty of the natural world.

Each edition is thoughtfully designed to become part of a growing collection you'll look forward to receiving throughout the year.

Every monthly edition includes:

One 5×7 fine art print
One Little Watercolor art card
One illustrated monthly calendar card
One surprise Trail Treasure
One personal Field Note

Trail Treasures are the surprise element of each edition.

They change from month to month and are always chosen to complement the artwork and season.

Examples include:

Waterproof stickers
Bookmarks
Art postcards
Mini field guides
Nature observation cards
Recipe cards
Motif cards
Coloring pages
Other collectible paper keepsakes

You'll know you're receiving a Trail Treasure, but the surprise is discovering exactly what it is.

Yes.

The monthly fine art print is created specifically for Trail Side Post Collectors.

Some artwork may later inspire other products or collections, but each monthly edition is designed to feel special and collectible.

Not at all.

Every edition revolves around a different seasonal theme inspired by what I'm discovering outdoors.

Some months may feature birds, wildflowers, mushrooms, or woodland animals.

Others may celebrate changing seasons, quiet landscapes, or the little moments that often go unnoticed.

While the experience stays consistent, every collection is unique.

Each edition includes a personal Field Note written by me.

Depending on the mailing, it may be handwritten or professionally printed in my handwriting style so every Collector receives the same story and experience.

Wonderful!

Trail Side Post is designed to complement the rest of my work.

Many Collectors display their monthly prints together while using the Trail Treasures in journals, books, planners, or around the home.

Yes.

You can cancel your Collector membership at any time.

If you cancel before your next renewal date, you won't be charged again, and you'll continue receiving any edition already included in your current billing period.

At the moment, Trail Side Post is available within the United States.

International shipping is something I'd love to explore in the future as the collection grows.

Trail Side Post is mailed once each month.

You'll receive one carefully packed envelope featuring that month's collection.

Specific mailing dates may vary slightly as every edition is assembled and packaged by hand.