#AntarcticLog is a series of comics by Karen Romano Young. You can find the originals here. <

In these still socially-distanced times, one of the things I miss most is a good chin-wag. The chance to sit around the fire or the table, swapping yarns, seems a long way off.  Maybe next autumn?

Meanwhile, I get my stories from art.  Paintings, you say? Sculpture? Music? Of course.  I'm a member of the Antarctic Artists and Writers Collective, and, although you can't walk through our gallery on foot, you can visit virtually.  Our first collective exhibit, Adequate Earth, represents 13 artists who visited Antarctica as part of the Antarctic Artists and Writers program, will be up until May 22. Find it here. May 22 is also the date of a special event about the program’s way forward,  featuring program participants along with the founder, Guy Guthridge. Register here.

#AntarcticLog has crossed paths with a number of other artists along the way. John Stephen Allerding, Palmer Station’s medical doctor, hikes and explores with his camera in his hand, capturing such phenomena as the nacreous clouds that sometimes accompany sunrise. Beautiful work, Doc!

And a tip of the hat to Rose McAdoo, a chef at McMurdo Station who turns scientific observations and data into cake. I love Rose’s Antarctic work, but what really puts me in her camp is her recent cake-decorating course taught at a California prison. Follow her @whiskmeawaycakes on Instagram.  Here’s my #AntarcticLog comic about her sea spider cake.

Karen Romano Young is a writer, artist, deep-sea diver, and polar explorer. Follow her on Twitter & Instagram.