Congratulations to Jada Fitch, our 2026 Featured Artist of the Year!
Jada Fitch’s new Mama Bear and Cub sticker, designed exclusively for Northern Woodlands, shows a black bear and her cub making their way across a mossy log. Look closely and you’ll find bunchberries, lowbush blueberries, red-capped mushrooms, and young conifers tucked into the scene. This close attention to detail runs through all of Jada’s work, as she invites you to slow down and notice a bit more of the world around you.
About the Artist
Jada Fitch grew up in a log cabin her father built in Sebago, Maine, near her grandparents’ store, Fitch’s General. She spent much of her childhood there or at home, drawing and making crafts with her mother, a stained-glass artist. After art school, time in Los Angeles, and nearly a decade in Portland balancing day jobs with freelance projects, she discovered birdwatching and became captivated, making birds her primary artistic focus. As her illustrations gained recognition, she transitioned into freelancing full-time and continued to find inspiration while volunteering at a local bird-banding station.
Today, she lives in a 230-year-old farmhouse in Downeast Maine, creating artwork for clients such as National Audubon, the American Bird Conservancy, and Down East magazine. In 2025, Fitch collaborated with poet and Northern Woodlands board member Kateri Kosek to create The Forest Revealed: An Illustrated Year, which was featured in the Winter 2025 issue of the magazine.