CONSERVATION, NATURE & NATURAL SCIENCE ILLUSTRATION

ILLUSTRATION GALLERIES:

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Faery Medicine: Blending Art and Plant Conservation

From 1996 to 2010, my project, Faery Medicine, was an evolving educational exhibit in illustrated story form. It chronicled historical medicinal plant usage worldwide, using faeries and nature spirits to represent plant qualities and protect nature. Notecards featuring these images and stories were sold nationwide, further fueling my commitment to conservation and education.

Bringing Botanical Medicine to Life

The first book I illustrated from beginning to end was Medicine From the Mountains: Medicinal Plants of the Sierra Nevada by Kimball Chatfield. I had a profound interest in botanical medicine and had studied the topic extensively. The project perfectly blended my illustration skills with my interests and led to more book projects.

Mentorship with Yuyi Morales

In 2009, I had the honor of being chosen by award-winning children’s author/illustrator Yuyi Morales as one of her mentees in the Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program. Under her guidance, I wrote and illustrated my first picture book focused on environmental stewardship. This mentorship shaped my creative approach and influences every story I illustrate or write to this day.

Volunteer Leadership with SCBWI

Following the mentorship, I continued with children's illustration while managing my design business. Several years later, I served as Illustrator Coordinator and then Co-Regional Advisor for SCBWI’s California: North/Central region, creating events and content for our illustrator and writer community.

Continued Environmental Stewardship Storytelling

Then, in 2023, while developing book projects in Chris Oatley's Clockwork Heart Mentorship, I received a grant to produce my all-ages environmental stewardship book, With Love, From Tahoe, in English and Spanish. This significant milestone reinvigorated my passion for stewardship storytelling and opened the door to new book projects focused on protecting nature.

Contact me to discuss your illustration project.