I have been drawing and making things for as long as I can remember. Being in nature and creating keeps me present and lets me approach the world with an inquisitive spirit. I began journaling as a way to observe the natural world. Gradually, these pages have also provided a place to explore the connection between words and drawings through storytelling.
My art works are usually part of a larger series. Currently, I have several different projects that showcase a closer lens to the continuous habitat loss. I am especially interested in native species found in Illinois remnant prairies and the ecological relationships that exist there. The Illinois Native Plant Series was my capstone project for which I received my Certificate in Botanical Arts from the Chicago Botanic Garden.
For illustrations, I work in graphite, watercolor and ink; I use linocut and silk screen techniques for printmaking. Accuracy and staying true is essential for scientific illustrations, whereas printmaking allows for beautiful marks that have a quality of playfulness and whimsy. When working in either of these art forms, I become super focused and everything around me becomes quiet. I am much more interested in the process than the final piece. Additionally, both art forms have historical importance: one has been used to move science forward while the other has been used for resistance.
The goals for my pieces fall in several different buckets with the common thread to advocate for conservation of habitats. Born and raised in Toronto and being a first generation, as a kid, I did not have many folks who looked like me working in this space, but this is changing, slowly. I would like to be part of this change. 🎨
Yikes, is this an amphibian? It was a plant found in the Chicagoland area in the early 1900s called ’s Thisma americana Pfieffer
Swink, Floyd, and Gerould Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago region. 4th ed. Indianapolis: Indiana Academy of Science.
