Scientific Illustrations
Some of my earliest memories while growing up in Santa Cruz, California are of watching, studying, and sketching birds that would frequent a large peppertree that grew over both widows of my second-story bedroom. After an extensive career in Ornithology, in January 2018, I began illustrating the birds that I had devoted so many years to studying.
Please contact me if you would like to purchase an original or print of my completed work or would like to commission a new illustration.
Peacock Butterfly: Colored Pencil
6 in x 4 in. Dug out my color pencils (Derwent & Berol) from about 30 years ago and experimented with using them for science illustration (there is a little micron and gel pen in there too). I learned that I need a few more tools, such as a sanding block, to help make the finer details, but I love the vibrancy! I definitely will keep practicing with pencils, including trying out a new-in-the-tin set of watercolor pencils that I have had for a years.
Two-tailed Swallowtail
Life-sized. Watercolor with a touch of pen, colored pencil, and pastel. Original and prints available for purchase. Copyright and signature not on actual artwork.
American Lady
Life-sized. Watercolor. Slightly larger than life (2x3 in). Original and prints available for purchase. Copyright and signature not on actual artwork.
Fly Agaric (Amanita)
Lif-sized. Watercolor. Having a little fun doing a watercolor of one of the mushrooms we find while hunting for Chanterelles and Porcini in the Autumn.
Oh Hey, Pinyon Jay beer released by Drinking Horn Meadery and Bosque Brewing Company
Exciting Partnership with Audubon Southwest
I repurposed my Pinyon Jay painting to come up with this design for Audubon Southwest’s Pinyon Jay Monitoring Project. It will be printed on bottles and cans of a Special-Release Beer (Oh Hey, Pinyon Jay) produced by BOSQUE BREWING COMPANY and DRINKING HORN MEADERY. Look for it in mid- to late-July.
Hibiscus
Life-sized. Watercolor. For my mom for Mother’s Day…a hibiscus flower from my folks’ amazing indoor hibiscus bush. I go back and forth about whether I should have added leaves for a pop of green.
Color-matching
Fresh from the Printers!
A kaleidoscope of butterflies has arrived. I had fun replicating my watercolor paintings of these two butterflies.
Rosebud
Fun practice painting a rosebud with Billy Showell
Lotus bud and Seed
Doing a little practice painting with Heidi Willis
Painted during a class with Maryjo Koch
Magnolia based on art by Heidi Willis
Practicing shells with Billy Showell
Iris: Finished
Playing with my blues on an iris painted using my own reference photo taken at the Botanic Garden
Male Broad-billed Hummingbird (Cynanthus latirostris) with Desert Penstemon (Penstemon pseudospectabilis) flowers. 15.5x19.5 in Watercolor/Mixed Media on Moulin du Roy HP 640 GSM.
This painting was commissioned by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish’s Share with Wildlife Program; however, still available are 1) the original hummingbird painting, and 2) both digital copies and high-quality prints of the hummingbird and the penstemon either separate or together.
In New Mexico, this hummingbird is found in the southwestern part of the State, primarily in Guadalupe Canyon (Hidalgo County). It is listed as Threatened in New Mexico.
(Preliminary Study Only) Erosion. Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) at burrow. 14x20 in Watercolor and Acryla-Gouache on Arches HP 140lb. This preliminary study painting was done to explore colors, textures, and layout in preparation for a final painting.
In New Mexico, the Bank Swallow nests in burrows in erodible soils on vertical banks, such as those found along the Rio Grande and large arroyos in Sandoval County. Climate change, management of river flows, urban encroachment and disturbance, and development of arroyos have resulted in direct loss of active nesting colonies and available nesting sites, as well as changes to the processes (e.g., high river flows) that create suitable nesting banks. This species is a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in New Mexico.
(Preliminary Study Only) Aridification: Piñon-Juniper Community. Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) on Piñon Pine (Pinus edulis) and Gray Vireo (Vireo vicinior) on One-Seed Juniper (Juniperus monosperma). 20x26 in Watercolor and Watercolor Pencils on Arches HP 140lb. This preliminary study painting was done to explore colors, textures, and layout in preparation for a final painting.
Piñon-Juniper Woodlands are being lost in New Mexico and across the Southwest due to climate change, including higher temperatures and increased drought frequency and severity, which increases both the trees’ susceptibility to bark beetle infestation and direct mortality. Concurrent with the loss of this important vegetation community type, bird species – such as the Pinyon Jay and Gray Vireo - that depend on these woodlands also are declining. The Pinyon Jay is a Species of Greatest Conservation Need and the Gray Vireo is Threatened in New Mexico.
Desert Patterns. Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) on Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens). 10x14 in Watercolor on Arches HP 140 lb. January 22, 2019.
The Cactus Wren is considered common in much of the desert Southwest. However, the species is of conservation interest in New Mexico due to its limited range and recent population declines.
Hidden: This watercolor and acryla-goauche painting is of a female Broad-billed Hummingbird (Cynanthus latirostris) that I found nesting in Guadalupe Canyon, New Mexico. I am currently working on a painting of the male (see above). The species is Threatened in New Mexico.
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) on cattail (Typha). 10x14 in Watercolor on Arches HP 140lb. May 2, 2018. Based on a photograph by Michael Pino.
The Common Yellowthroat is a riparian obligate, depending on marsh habitats along the Rio Grande and across New Mexico. Although populations of this species are considered stable, it is alarming that this common species is showing population declines. This is likely due to loss and degradation of its required habitats resulting from climate change, habitat conversion, and management of river flows.
European Starling
A private commission of a European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), a species that is introduced into the United States. Watercolor/mixed media.
Quick Sketch: Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis) watercolor/mixed media quick sketch based on a photograph on Wikipedia. This is my first and, to date, only frog illustration.
Quick Sketch: Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) watercolor/mixed media quick sketch based on birds I saw at Machu Picchu in 2015