Projects - Rachael Koppendrayer

Portfolio

A Tomte and the Yule Goat go window shopping at the Swedish Gift Store in Lindstrom, MN

Window Shopping

A red Finnish fox creates the Northern Lights as he chases his tail

Fire Fox

Two arctic foxes race across the snow, sparking Finland's Revontulet, also known as fox fire, or the Northern Lights

Revontulet

A tomte attempts to dip coffee out of the steaming spout of the Lindstrom water tower

Coffee, Anyone?

little Sami girl pets the nose of a red Dala Moose in an autumn birch forest

Dala Moose

The Tomte and Yule Goat run away with a plate of St Lucia buns, while St Lucia peers out the doorway

On the Run

Christmas / Scandinavian

Little St Lucia eats buns by candle light

Little Lucia

Christmas / Scandinavian

Little boy tentatively pets a blue dala horse foal, while the gray Norwegian fjord horse mare grazes nearby

A Boy and His Horse

Twinflower/Linnaea borealis wildflowers

Twinflower

little boy in vintage overalls holds a Swedish Dala Rooster with two speckled hens looking on

Dala Rooster: Up with the Chickens

Yule Goat glares at the Tomte as he sits on a straw yule goat

Get Your Goat

Christmas / Scandinavian

Rodblakk Norwegian fjord horse mare hugs her red dala horse foal

Dala Horse: Cuddle Closer

Wood lily, lilium philadephicum blossoms

Wood Lily

Outline of the state of Michigan with state symbols bird Robin, flower Apple Blossom, reptile Painted Turtle, game mammal Deer, and wildflower Dwarf Lake Iris

Michigan State Symbols

Young woman in Norwegian bunad plays Hardanger fiddle for Norwegian Fjord and Dala horses

Dala Horse Serenade

Three black bear cubs climb a tree branch

Out on a Limb

Painted turtle suns himself on a log in the water

Painted Turtle

Outline of Wisconsin filled with state symbols badger, deer, violet, and robin

Wisconsin State Symbols

American Robin descends to its nest of blue eggs in a blooming apple tree

American Robin

A doe whitetail deer gives her wobbly fawn a leg up

A Leg Up

Andrena bee visits blue violet flowers

Blue Violet

Three little badgers emerge from their hole on the lookout for fun

On the Lookout

Prairie Smoke

Three skunk kits go sniffing out trouble

Sniffing Out Trouble

Outline of North Dakota with that state flower wild rose, state bird meadowlark, state fish Northern Pike, and state equine Nokota horse.

North Dakota State Symbols

A boy riding a dala horse pulls his brother on a sled

Dala Horse: Sledding

Outline of the state of South Dakota with pheasant (state bird), pasque flower (state flower), coyote (mammal), walleye (fish), and honey bee (insect) inside

South Dakota State Symbols

Thick as Thieves

Walleye fish, showy lady's slipper flower, monarch butterfly, and state bird loon fill a Minnesota state outline

Minnesota State Symbols

Two young bobcats stare down at a third who fell tail over tea kettle off a log

Tail Over Tea Kettle

Little Swedish girl leans against dala horse as they watch moose and the nature watches them

Dala Horse: Nature Watch

Fox cub pounces on sleepy siblings in a sneak attack

Sneak Attack

A pheasant rooster crows to attract a hen

Ring-Necked Pheasant

Lamb stares at an angel in the night sky

And Glory Shone Around

Norwegian fjord horses and dala horses follow a little Swedish girl into a stream

Dala Horse: Following the Leader

Syrphid flies pollinate pasque flowers

Pasque Flower

Little coyote pups howl as their mother tries to sleep

No Rest for the Weary

Northern Pike lurks just under the water's surface

Northern Pike

Wild Nokota horses run through Theodor Roosevelt National Park

Wild Nokota

Baby loon imitates its parent as they raise their wings to greet the morning

Loon: Greet the Morning

Three baby fox squirrels peer out a hole in the tree while they're stuck inside the nest

Stuck Inside

Purple and yellow carrot growing entwined

Commission: Unity in Diversity

A little girl in traditional Swedish folkdräkt shyly stands by a black Dala horse

Dala Horse: Don’t Be Shy

Norwegian Fjord horse mare and foal look at their reflection as dala horses

Dala Horse: Norwegian Fjord Reflection

3 rusty-patched bumblebees feed on purple prairie clover flowers

Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee

Two blackbirds fly above the stand of shattering manoomin, or wild rice

Shattering of Manoomin

The Minnesota state fish, the Walleye, swims just under the turbulent water surface

Walleye

Spring Peeper frog sits on the shadow of yellow morels, the Minnesota state mushroom.

Yellow Morel

great horned owl swoops down from the towering Norway pine trees, the Minnesota state tree

Pines to the Skies

Monarch caterpillar peeks out from butterflyweed flowers to peer at monarch butterfly, the Minnesota state butterfly

Monarch on Butterflyweed

leaf cutter bee emerges from pollinating showy lady's slipper, the Minnesota state flower

Pink & White Lady’s Slipper

Blue dala horse foal climbs on Norwegian fjord horse mare

Dala Horse: Fjord Foal

painted lady butterfly drinks nectar on New England aster flowers

Painted Lady on New England Asters

Dala rooster crows at a trio of sleepy Svarthöna, or Swedish black chickens.

Dala Rooster: Wake-Up Call

moccasins rest in the leaves under a cluster of yellow lady's slipper flowers

Lost Moccasins

small white lady's slippers: one natural, the other patterned like a moccasin

Small White Moccasin Flower

Hereford cow with dala calf stand in a dry pasture

Dala Cow: Hereford

Scandinavian Christmas scene: Yule goat watches the Tomte tugging on his hat, which is being held in a horse's mouth

Delivery Status: Delayed

Christmas / Scandinavian

jack in the pulpit flower

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Showy lady's slippers: one natural, one patterned like a moccasin

Showy Moccasin Flower

wild clematis flowers

Purple Clematis

dragons occupy the ruins of Duluth's Minnesota Point lighthouse

Dragons of Duluth: Minnesota Point Lighthouse

colored pencil drawing of asiatic dayflowers

Asiatic Dayflower

blue closed gentian flowers

Bottle Gentian

a dragon nests on the pillar of Uncle Harvey's Mausoleum in Duluth Minnesota

Dragons of Duluth: The Pillar of Uncle Harvey’s Mausoleum

ram's head lady's slipper flower

Ram’s Head Lady’s Slipper

Zebra Swallowtail butterfly on Jacob's Ladder flowers

Zebra Swallowtail

colored pencil drawing of penstemon flowers

Large-Flowered Beardtongue

Three black, tan and white basset hound puppy dogs sit on a pile of leaves

Basset Hound Puppies

pink aka stemless lady's slipper flower

Stemless Lady’s Slipper

Nanny goat puts up with her curious kids climbing on her, one of which is a red dala goat

Dala Goat: Oberhasli

Northern Saw Whet Owl bird looks over its shoulder

Northern Saw-Whet Owl

Indian Paintbrush flowers

Indian Paintbrush

Monarch butterfly on black-eyed susan flowers

Monarch

Mama dragon shelters her young from the storm and waves assaulting Uncle Harvey's Mausoleum in Duluth, Minnesota

Dragons of Duluth: Uncle Harvey’s Mausoleum

Prairie Smoke flowers

Prairie Smoke

Little red dala foal runs alongside a bay appaloosa mare

Dala Horse: To Run with Endurance

Male hummingbirds square off in the air as they fight over territory

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird: Territory

Female ruby throated hummingbird fluffs out her feathers on her perch on a linden branch

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird: Ruffled Feathers

Female ruby throated hummingbird sits on her cobwebby nest in a linden tree

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird: Nesting

Wary mama chicken keeps her chicks close, which includes three yellow dala chicks

Mother Hen

small white lady's slipper flower

Small White Lady’s Slipper

Karner blue butterflies on wild lupine flowers

Karner Blue

Pair of jersey cows grazing with dala calf

Dala Cow: Jersey

Poinsettia, the Christmas flower

Poinsettia

Christmas scene of a Red dala horse and Norwegian fjord as they pull a runaway sleigh with the yule goat and tomte in the sled

Dala Horse: Runaway Sleigh

Christmas / Scandinavian

Calypso bulbosa flower

Fairy Slipper

polyphemus moth with wings spread resting on branch of apricot flowers

Polyphemus Moth

bay paint foal warily meets a black dala horse foal

Dala Horse: Making Friends

orange daylily flowers

Daylily

Pileated woodpecker clings to tree next to his nest of baby birds

Pileated Woodpecker

Hampshire sow sleeps with newborn dala piglet snuggled against her snout

Dala Pig: Baby of Mine

wild blue flag flowers

Blue Flag Iris

blue heron bird stabs sunfish with beak

Great Blue Heron: Fishing

Rooster crows over the reflection of a dala chicken in the puddle

Dala Rooster Reflection

lily of the valley flowers

Lily of the Valley

White dala horse hugs a blue roan

Dala Horse: If You Need a Friend

merry bells flowers

Large-Flowered Bellwort

Reddish pig looks at its dala pig reflection in a mud hole

Dala Pig Reflection

Western meadowlark bird sings from a prairie rose branch

Western Meadowlark

girl taming a wild unicorn in the steppes of central Asia

Taming the Unicorn

two chickadee birds rest on a snowy branch with red berries

Black-Capped Chickadee

Reading girl sits on a stack of books with fantastic creatures, scenes, and stars in the map-like background

Imagination

Blue dala foal nurses from a grey mare

Dala Horse: Nursing

yellow lady's slipper flower

Yellow Lady’s Slipper

Red hampshire cross sow feeds with litter of piglets, some normal some dala piglets

Dala Pig – Red Hampshire

Mama killdeer bird keeps an eye out with three long-legged chicks

Killdeer

white mountain heather flowers

White Mountain Heather

Nanny goat keeps watch over her three kids, one of which is a red dala goat

Dala Goats: Toggenburg

sphinx moth drinks nectar from blue delphinium flower

White-Lined Sphinx Moth

Red poppy flowers

Red Poppy

Young dragons breathe fire at a seagull from the ruins of UMD's Old Main in Duluth, Minnesota, while mama dragon sleeps below.

Dragons of Duluth: Old Main

Little red banty chicken watches over her chicks, which include two red dala chicks

Little Red Hen

Male and female kingfisher birds keep an eye out from their perch on a dead branch

Belted Kingfisher

pair of tradescantia spiderwort flowers

Spiderwort

michigan lily flowers

Turk’s-Cap Lily

Mourning Cloak butterfly with pussy willow flowers

Mourning Cloak and Pussy Willows

Hampshire sow feeds litter of of hungry piglets, including three dala piglets

Dala Pig: Blue Hampshire

showy, yellow, small white, ram's head, small yellow, and stemless lady's slipper flowers in a giant bouquet

Lady Slipper Bouquet

Handsome blue dala rooster struts with Andalusian hen chicken and chicks

Dala Rooster: Walk This Way