North Pole Studio
 
        Our studio resides deep in the woods of North Pole, Alaska... far from the beaten path but conveniently close to the basic necessities of town.

        Most people ask us with great surprise how we can live so far up north but the truth is that our North Pole is just a town named after the magnetic pole. We don't live in igloos, eat muk tuk (whale blubber) or get our supplies from a local trapper’s cabin.

      Alaska is surprisingly modern and contrary to what most visitors expect. We are very lucky to have most of our needs met by local businesses, big and small, right in town but most often it is necessary to make the half hour drive ‘next door’ to Fairbanks, our next largest town, for more specific supplies.

      As with any town North Pole continues to grow every year and welcomes many visitors to our great state… and, every year more visitors leave this area in search of greener, or should I say warmer, pastures!

A pristine winter view from
our studio


        Alaska is not an area for casual living. In winter our town regularly experiences temperatures dropping into the -60’s and in the height of summer temps of +80 to +90F are common. An extreme climate change to say the least! 




The 'real' artist of the family...
Juno tries her paws at finishing up a logo concept
commissioned by the Yukon Quest
          Fortunately this type of weather offers perfect opportunities to run sled dogs and when the snow drops in October/November snow will stay until late March (or later if were lucky).

          There is nothing like mushing a team of dogs through snow packed trails in the bright sun in light pants and short sleeve t-shirts!

         The dogs are a HUGE part of our life and inhabit every way of our being, especially the studio. Each day one dog in the yard receives special time to come into our home and spend hours in the studio.



          It is a wonderful opportunity in summer to cool down for a while and in winter it’s nice to give them a warm up break, though some of our heavier coated dogs like to cut their special day short and get back out into the crisp cool air!



         Working from home offers many advantages and getting the chance to spend extra time with the dogs one~on~one every day is priceless. Bonds are strengthened, house manners perfected and a sense of peace settles over a sometimes tense business environment with our furry friends close at hand.

          Lead Dog Graphics offers many different sled dog related products that take our work hours into a multitude of different directions. From one day to the next we carve out our time specifically catering to our ever increasing customer client base, providing our best service to each individual or business.

Mercury and Miriam take a quick snuggle break
during their busy work day



         Spring and summer keeps our studio printers humming maintaining the retail tourist demand for our best selling note cards. This is our busiest time of year. While we shuttle out orders to our retail shops we strive to maintain our website/store, develop new products and still find the time to create new art, adding to our ever expanding line of mushing related products.



          Winter is a different time of year for us, but with the change of season our work hours still remain long.

          When most of the tourists have gone home we shift our main focus from retail orders to client commissions, original art and training the sled dogs getting the most out of our winter before the snow is gone.

           We temporarily experience a shut down of all business activities when the temps dip down between 40 and 60 below (some times for a week or more) to make sure our home and family stays safe and warm during the cold snap.

            Dogs in the yard maintain their house rotation while those who do not have their inside time that day use their luxury box seat inside the dog truck where they are comfortable to snooze away the cold and share their neighbor’s warmth.



Miriam finishes up a dog portrait commission
for a Fairbanks resident

           
          'Winterizing' the dogs may sound like a simple operation but, as with any task performed in the cold, some times it feels like a monumental effort. Just like humans, dogs need their potty breaks and with scheduled ‘drop’ times to relieve themselves we also fit in feeding and watering throughout the day.            
 
         It’s a full time job but well worth it for the peace of mind knowing that our most cherished friends are warm and comfortable in the coldest winter.




Ajax watches over a sick foster pup, Onyx, resting
 in the corner of a laundry basket.

Fortunatly Onyx only needed a few short naps away
from his rowdy brothers and sister. It didnt take
long for him to gain his strength back.

Juno and Spock (our permanent house dogs) relax
during a casual day at the 'office'