About
Sophie Wood Brinker (she/her) is a Natural Science Illustrator who concentrates on appreciation of the small + care of human and non-human neighbors. She grew up in Santa Cruz, California, on Awaswas-speaking Uypi land, where she found endless inspiration in the flora and fauna of the central coast.
As a Quaker, Sophie grew up sitting in intergenerational circles and hearing messages spoken out of silence. She has lived in Quaker community on and off for much of her life and deeply values spending time with elders, asking questions and working towards living a life of integrity and a quiet fierceness. She considers the Quaker community called Sierra Friends Center her heart home - a place where she been supported by the old meeting house, the smell of ponderosa pine bark, the sound of the dinner bell, and many sweet hands and hearts.
Sophie has a BA in Peace and Global Studies from Earlham College, a Certificate in Graphic Design from UC Berkeley, and is a graduate of the Science Illustration Graduate program at Monterey State University. Through watercolor, pencil, and ink, Sophie communicates the brilliance and intricacy of the ecosystems that surround us. She currently lives in Bolinas, California, on Coast Miwok land.
“It is six A.M., and I am working. I am absentminded, reckless, heedless of social obligations, etc. It is as it must be. The tire goes flat, the tooth falls out, there will be a hundred meals without mustard. The poem gets written. I have wrestled with the angel and I am stained with light and I have no shame. Neither do I have guilt. My responsibility is not to the ordinary, or the timely. It does not include mustard, or teeth. It does not extend to the lost button, or the beans in the pot. My loyalty is to the inner vision, whenever and howsoever it may arrive. If I have a meeting with you at three o’clock, rejoice if I am late. Rejoice even more if I do not arrive at all”
~Mary Oliver