Ross Wood Studlar is an American cartoonist, mural painter, naturalist, and conservationist. From a young age to the present, Ross has loved comics and imaginative literature, especially science fiction. He also loves hiking, gardening, and spending quality time with animals (family and friends too). Active in mind and body, Ross is in his second season as a Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park, where he guides snowshoe hikes and boat tours. It is the latest in a series of adventures that have taken Ross to various parts of this country and others. Ross has been a kayaking guide on the Gulf Coast of Texas, a crewmember on a historic tallship in New Jersey, and a volunteer at an international work camp for sea turtle conservation in southwestern Mexico.
Drawing upon his wealth of lived and imagined experiences, Ross has created comic books that explore nature and society. His first to be published (small-press) was A Humble Joy (2004). It co-stars Jared, a depressed and isolated research physicist, and Ferris, Jared's considerably more content pet guinea pig. Myths from the Future (2005) reinvents classic stories to explore contemporary themes of technology and responsibility. Recently, Ross has completed several comics about wild animal behavior for a pending anthology. These include “Love at Sea” (2007), a romance tale among sea turtles, and “Song for a Hungry Horned Frog” (2008), about a South American amphibian with a voracious appetite. Indian legends surrounding Crater Lake and encounters with wildlife in the park have inspired comics that are still in progress at Ross' studio. A diverse artist, Ross has led young people in wildlife-inspired public mural projects in Washington and Texas.
Educationally, Ross holds an MFA in Cartooning from The Center for Cartoon Studies and a BA in Studio Art from Denison University. His most valuable educational experience was The Homestead, a unique experiment in sustainable community living, operated under Denison. He helped to build a strawbale cabin, grow organic gardens and orchards, and raise chickens. (Previously, Ross' pets had included a tarantula and various frogs, turtles, and lizards.) These creatures, like wise human friends, informed Ross' philosophy and understanding of life. Through his artwork, Ross shares his discoveries.
