Biographies
Find out more about our speakers, instructors, presentors and team members.
Betsy Barry
Brian Bastarache
Jay Block
Dr. Janine N. Caira
Stacy Cheavans
Kathy DeVries
Stephen Mutsugoroh DiCerbo
Sarah Finn
Victoria Fuller
Sarah Gagnon
Kristin Gjerdset
Michale Glennon
Haley Grunloh
Gretchen Halpert
Sharl Heller
Mary Jameson
Jordan Jefferson
Josh Jordan
Ikumi Kayama
Dr. Barrett Klein
Emily Lewis
Taina Litwak
Diana Marques
Fiona Martin
Catie Michael
Regina Milan
Rosemary Mosco
Andrew Nixon
Alissa O’Brien
Matt Patterson
Dorie Pouch Petrochko
Mallery Quetawki
Scott Rawlins
Charlotte Ricker
Dolores Santoliquido
Carol Schwartz
Hannah Sease
Rick Simonson
Ret and Karen Talbot
Karen Talbot
Frances Topping
Betsy Barry
Botanical and Science Illustrator, Pencil/Color Pencil Artist, and Instructor
Join this Natural Science/Botanical Pencil artist in a half day workshop and see her techniques in the Open Studio event opportunity …. See you there!
"….My name is Betsy Barry and I am a full-time artist working from my home studio in Old Lyme, Ct. I create botanical & nature illustrations using Colored Pencil. I strive to connect the viewers of my artwork to the simple, beautiful things growing and living around us.
I offer classes in drawing and colored pencil in-person and online, privately as well as through the Lyme Art Association, Yale Peabody Museum, and at other local pop-ups. Most recently, my drawing of Grapes was accepted and shown through the Society of Botanical Artists show Plantae 2024. While I am thankful for modern technology and our ability to connect to others around the world, I feel that through technology we have distanced ourselves from the living, growing things all around us. I hope to reconnect the viewers of my artwork with the simple things we come across everyday, but that we often overlook."
~ Betsy Barry
Botanical and Science Illustrator, Pencil/Color Pencil Artist, Instructor
Brian Bastarache
Natural Science Illustrator, Fiber artist, Instructor
Brian Bastarache has been part of the Bristol County Agricultural High School Environmental Conservation Department (ECD) since 1995, and has been the department chairman since 2005. He spearheaded the creation of cooperative conservation projects, which have provided several real-world opportunities that have enhanced the educational experience of the students, as well as tangible assistance to the conservation efforts of cooperating partners. These partners include the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Massachusetts Audubon Society, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife, Hofstra University, The Turtle Survival Alliance, The American Chestnut Foundation, and Oxbow Associates, Inc.
Brian works as a seasonal field herpetologist for Oxbow Associates, Inc., and has led a team conducting research on Northern Diamondback Terrapin and Common Snapping Turtle populations, with the Taunton River Watershed Alliance, since 2016.
After nearly a decade of research, we are beginning to understand the population of Northern Diamondback Terrapins in the Taunton River as well as the other turtle species that share the river.
2025 Annual Member Exhibition Juror
Jay Block
Associate Director of Collections and Exhibitions at Bridgewater State University
Jay Block is one of the jurors for the 2025 Annual Members Exhibition.
Jay Block is an Associate Director of Collections and Exhibitions at Bridgewater State University where he has spent over ten years implementing a progressive arts program centered on the areas of diversity, collection development, exhibitions, conservation, and research. He has collaborated with community leaders in the development of a recognized Arts District and sought university and community partners in the development of grant funding sources. Jay mentors individual students in curatorial studies, business practices within the arts, exhibition design, and collection management practices. He has also developed and implemented strategic goals, policies, and objectives related to collection and exhibition management that adhere to the highest museum standards and best practices.
Jay received his BA in Fine Arts from Sonoma State University, CA. His graduate studies were in printmaking and he received his MFA from the Pratt Institute in NY. He received his USPAP Certificate in Fine Art Appraisal Studies from New York University. Jay has worked as an Operations Manager and Collections Manager at the Whitney Museum. He has also been a Collections Manager and Exhibitions Designer at the Neuberger Museum, as well as managed various Private Collections in New York City. Most recently Jay has been part of the Steering Committee for the Town Hall Art Center to restore the historical Town House Building, which served as the first Town Hall of Bridgewater, MA. He is helping to develop a master plan that would provide the community with a full range of community-based arts programming.
2025 Annual Member Exhibition Juror
Dr. Janine N. Caira
Professor Emeritus, Parasitologist, and Director of Connecticut State Museum of Natural History
Dr. Janine N. Caira is one of the jurors for the 2025 Annual Members Exhibition.
Dr. Janine N. Caira received her M.Sc. from the University of British Columbia in 1981 and her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1985. She joined the University of Connecticut in 1985 and is currently a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut, and Director of the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History.
Dr. Caira is a parasitologist whose research focuses on the taxonomy, systematics and phylogenetic relationships of tapeworms and their elasmobranch (shark and stingray) hosts using both morphological and molecular approaches. Her work is global and over time has included fieldwork in more than 30 countries. It has led to the discovery of over 200 new species and 30 new genera, the reconfiguration of tapeworm ordinal-level relationships and, perhaps most surprisingly, little evidence of cospeciating between tapeworms and their elasmobranch hosts despite exhibiting extremely high levels of host specificity.
Stacy Cheavans
Certified Medical Illustrator
The University of Missouri
Stacy Turpin Cheavens, MS, has been practicing as a certified medical illustrator with the University of Missouri since 2004, the year she graduated from the Medical Illustration Program at the Medical College of Georgia. She is the sole CMI in the MU School of Medicine, housed in the Orthopaedic Surgery department. What Stacy is most grateful for in her position is the variety. Frequently she has the opportunity to collaborate with faculty throughout the MU campus, such as Geological Sciences’ researchers. Her work generally ends up in journals, patient education, grant applications, and on this occasion, wrapped around the walls of a stairwell.
Stacy will walk you through the year-long process of how she collaborated with a team of paleontologists at the University of Missouri, to create a 32-foot mural depicting the trajectory of life over the past 635 million years. From the first brainstorm session to the last stroke of a brush, you’ll hear about logistic and design considerations, lessons learned, and of course get a peek at the Easter eggs sprinkled throughout.
Kathy DeVries
Natural Science Illustrator, Fiber artist, and Instructor
Join Kathy for a half day workshop entitled "Creating Your Illustrations in Fabric".
I am a natural science illustration artist combining my love of fiber arts, painting, and drawing to design modern signature quilted art. Inspired by my Dutch horticulture heritage and historic natural science art, I love exploring the creatures, plants, and landscapes in my native Great Lakes region with the familiarity and comfort of quilting techniques.
Researching the plant, animal, and/or insect is key to capturing the exact representation. From my drawings and paintings, I create a pattern of my subject taking into account the colored fabrics and thread. My stitching and quilting techniques are key mark-making steps, like drawing or painting, to give my pieces depth and texture.
A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design Natural Science Illustration Program, I also teach nature journaling and art workshops. I was an academic medicine marketing and communications executive in my prior life.
Stephen
Mutsugoroh DiCerbo
Science Illustrator, Artist, Printmaker, Fisherman, Certified Master Gyotaku printmaker, and Teacher
Join Master Printmaker Mutsugoroh on Open Studio Night or in a full day workshop to learn the history and process of Japanese fish printing, or Gyotaku. Gyotaku is a Japanese method of printmaking that traditionally utilizes fish, sea creatures or similar subjects as printing “plates” in its process. Only a couple hundred years old and originally utilized to allow a fisherman a way to record his catch, it has evolved to a beautiful and intriguing form of folk art. The literal translation of the word is “fish stone rubbing” and is believed to get its inspiration from Chinese stone rubbings of calligraphy, which eventually gave rise to modern printing.
“It has been said that one of the greatest values of fishing is that it presents a never-ending series of opportunities for hope. In the same sense, the artistic subject matter of fish and the environs they inhabit provide me with unlimited variations of color and form to work with.
The pursuit of recreating a visual accounting of these creatures, as well as other of nature’s subjects, on paper and canvas offers me ongoing access to the learning process. It allows me satisfaction in bringing home to the observer a surge of excitement, a reflection on nature’s wonders, or an emotional touchstone connected to their own experiences in the wild. “
~ Stephen Mutsugoroh DiCerbo
Scientific illustrator, artist and printmaker – North Hudson, New York
Sarah Finn
Special Collections Librarian
Milwaukee Public Library
Sarah Finn is a Special Collections Librarian at Milwaukee Public Library in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Finn earned a MLIS with an Archival Concentration and a History MA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is passionate about sharing the beauty of natural history illustrations found in old books, by curating the popular
@romanceofbooks Instagram account, which currently has over 126,000 worldwide followers.
Printed natural history illustrations of plants and animals played an important role in the development of science in the West. Some of the earliest printed books were about nature, such as the Hortus Sanitatis, Latin for “The Garden of Health,” by Jacob Meydenbach, published in Mainz, Germany in 1491. This presentation will provide an overview of the development of printed natural history illustrations over 500 years, paying close attention to how different printing methods affected the final image found in books.
Victoria Fuller
Multidisciplinary Artist
Victoria Fuller has an MFA from the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago. Her inflatable sculpture, Bring Back the Extinct Northern White Rhino, was featured in an animal extinction exhibition at The Buffalo Museum of Science, and had a solo exhibition of her work at the Susquehanna Art Museum in Harrisburg, PA, in 2022-2023. Her artworks are in the collection of the Artemezia Foundation Museum, AZ, and the Rockford Art Museum, IL. In 2019, she was awarded the (DCASE) IAP Grant and received a fellowship award from Illinois Arts Council. Her public sculpture Shoe of Shoes is in the collection of Caleres Shoes in St. Louis. Sculptures’ commissions are: Sound Transit, Seattle, Comed, Chicago, and Arts in Transit, St. Louis. Her public sculpture, titled Canoe Fan, was purchased by the city of Ann Arbor.
Victoria will give a presentation of her nature-based artwork, which is focused on the effects of human activity on our environment, flora and fauna, and human beings. Her work has been influenced by dioramas in natural history museums and natural science illustrations in biology textbooks. She will be presenting her large scale public artwork, found object artwork that relates to nature, inflatable work about extinction, sculpture, painting and natural science illustration.
Sarah Gagnon
Creative Director and Director
Field Day Lab’s game studio
Sarah Gagnon is the Creative Director and Director at Field Day Lab’s game studio, where she leads a team of artists making educational games. Inspired by visionaries like Mister Rogers, Sarah believes in creating media that meets kids where they are— by designing video games! She and her team care deeply about the way children experience the world, crafting games that honor kids’ perspectives and foster curiosity. Field Day’s gams are always free games and have reached millions of kids. Sarah draws on science illustration at every stage of development—from concept and research to the final product—helping the team explore and communicate the visual language of the material world.
Kristin Gjerdset
Professional Artist and Professor of Art at Wisconsin Lutheran College,
Panelist
Kristin Gjerdset is a professional artist and professor of art at Wisconsin Lutheran College, where she teaches painting, drawing, and art history. She also serves as the Schlueter Art Gallery manager, organizing exhibits throughout the year.
She has been selected as the Artist in Residence at five national parks including Glacier, Everglades, Mesa Verde, Great Basin, Rocky Mountain and three Wisconsin State Parks, as well as private residencies. She considers these experiences the highlights of her career. Her work focuses on insects, revealing their beauty and how each has a role on this planet, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.
"As part of the panel discussion on artist residencies, I will share experiences of living and working in nature spaces, as well as insight into the process of being selected as an artist in residence.
Residencies have been the highlight of my career, as I have been able to get closer to creatures, meet incredible park rangers, participate in private behind the scenes of tours of national park collections, sites and archaeological areas, and connect with community. My goal with the presentation will be to provide encouragement and inspiration to fellow artists to pursue applying for residency programs."
Michale Glennon
Research Scientist, Natural Science and Fiber Artist, and Instructor
Join Science Illustrator Michale Glennon in a half day workshop focusing on the approach of Science Education through Fiber Art.
Michale Glennon a Senior Research Scientist at the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute. She is an ecologist and uses wildlife as a tool for understanding threats to ecological integrity and watershed health. Michale has a B.S. from Dartmouth College and M.S. and Ph.D. from SUNY-ESF. Michale leads Wool and Water, a data art project that blends fiber art with scientific data to create visual representations of changing water quality conditions in the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain Basin. This collaborative project uses knitting, crochet, weaving and other fiber arts to tell the stories of our waterways and inspire their protection.
Haley Grunloh
Botanical, Zoological, Landscape Artist, Animator, Science Illustrator, and Instructor
Join Illustrator Haley Grunloh for a two day workshop focusing on the process of 3D animation using Adobe’s After Effects.
Haley Grunloh is an illustrator and animator from New Haven, CT. She earned her BFA in 2D animation from Pratt Institute, and studied Science Illustration at CSUMB. She is passionate about developing educational content, and in creating work that can help connect a general audience with the scientific community. She has collaborated with the Natural History Museum of LA County, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, and the Yale Peabody Museum.
Gretchen Kai Halpert
Head of the Scientific Illustration Distance Program
Gretchen Kai Halpert is the head of the Scientific Illustration Distance Program, an online program combining traditional science illustration skills with digital components. Her educational background includes a degree in botany from Connecticut College, graduate work in biological illustration, and a certificate in scientific and technical illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)/CE. Halpert worked as a cell and molecular biologist for 25 years while freelancing and teaching illustration at RISD/CE and Brown University. She is a former president of the GNSI, founder and former president of the GNSI-NE chapter, and recipient of the GNSI Distinguished Service Award. Halpert contributes regularly to GNSI conferences.
"Internships and independent studies offer significant inroads to becoming a professional illustrator. The Scientific Illustration Distance Program offers this engagement to students wishing to complete the program. Join us to see a variety of impressive projects from our graduates and learn how their experiences have helped grow their freelance businesses."
2025 Annual Member Exhibition Juror
Sharl Heller
Co-founder and President of SEMPBA
Join Sharl at a Panel Discussion titled "Art as Advocacy: Artists Inspire Conservation Awareness". Sharl Heller is also one of the jurors for the 2025 Annual Members Exhibition.
Sharl Heller is the co-founder and president of the
Southeastern Massachusetts Pine Barrens Alliance, Inc. (SEMPBA), an all-volunteer organization committed to preserving the unique habitats within the globally rare Massachusetts Coastal Pine Barrens Ecoregion. SEMPBA operates a climate and nature center at the picturesque Center Hill Preserve on Cape Cod Bay in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Under Sharl’s leadership, SEMPBA has been at the forefront of conservation efforts, including organizing impactful community events like "The Horseshoe Crab: Against All Odds" art exhibition at the Plymouth Center for the Arts, where over 60 artists contributed to raising awareness about wildlife conservation.
Mary Jameson
Marine Artist, Printmaker, and Instructor
Join Marine Natural Science Artist Mary Jameson in a full day workshop focusing on the process of Seaweed Pressing and Cyanotype printmaking.
Mary Chatowsky Jameson is the owner of Saltwater Studio in Newport, Rhode Island. She is an artist who explores the marine environment for inspiration in her artwork. Her Marine Botanical pressings and collages are created from seaweed and organic elements collected on excursions along the coast and in the tide pools throughout New England. Mary's work was featured in the New Bedford Whaling Museum's exhibit; A Singularly Marine & Fabulous Produce; The Cultures of Seaweed, June 15 - December 3, 2023. In April 2025, Mary will be leading Marine Botanicals; The Art of Seaweed Art Retreat at Mulranny Arts Center in Ireland.
“In my current body of work, I am exploring marine algae as a contemporary art form. I collect specimens and organic matter from the intertidal zones along the coast. Back at the studio I study the shape, texture and color of individual species and start a process of symbiotic layering to create new forms. At times I do not combine specimens but am responding to the essence of an individual piece of algae. It may be an essence that embodies the ocean, the unique properties of this organism, or simply my relationship to it at the moment. A key concept with my work is transformation. As I create new forms, the known and unknown intersect in a dynamic way to challenge thought patterns. For most people, seaweed is a nuisance – something to avoid. My work presents a new awareness for consideration and offers new insights into the mysteries and beauty of the marine world.”
Jordan Jefferson
Director at the Lynne L. Pantalena Law Library, and Associate Professor, The Quinnipiac University School of Law
Jordan Jefferson is the Director at the Lynne L. Pantalena Law Library and an Associate Professor at the Quinnipiac University School of Law. She writes and presents issues surrounding technology, pedagogy, and service improvement in law and law libraries, and envisions academic law libraries as being at the crossroads of community and knowledge. Professor Jefferson’s legal research interests have a particular focus on criminal justice and access to justice, military and veterans’ issues, and LGBTQIA+ and women’s rights. She currently teaches the courses, Understanding AI: Promises and Pitfalls in the Legal Profession and Introduction to Legal Research and Information Literacy.
"I’ll introduce the fundamentals of generative AI, exploring the technology, terminology, and its history. We’ll also look at the current legal landscape and address ethical issues, including privacy, copyright, and accountability. Participants will leave with a foundational understanding of generative AI and its ethical implications that will to help to equip them to navigate the complexities of using generative AI tools in their work."
Josh Jordan
Program Manager of Digital & Design, Rhode Island School of Design
Join Kathy for a half day workshop entitled "Creating Your Illustrations in Fabric".
I am a natural science illustration artist combining my love of fiber arts, painting, and drawing to design modern signature quilted art. Inspired by my Dutch horticulture heritage and historic natural science art, I love exploring the creatures, plants, and landscapes in my native Great Lakes region with the familiarity and comfort of quilting techniques.
Researching the plant, animal, and/or insect is key to capturing the exact representation. From my drawings and paintings, I create a pattern of my subject taking into account the colored fabrics and thread. My stitching and quilting techniques are key mark-making steps, like drawing or painting, to give my pieces depth and texture.
A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design Natural Science Illustration Program, I also teach nature journaling and art workshops. I was an academic medicine marketing and communications executive in my prior life.
Ikumi Kayama
Founder of Studio Kayama Medical & Scientific Illustration Services
Ikumi Kayama is the founder of Studio Kayama Medical & Scientific Illustration Services in Maryland. Her mission is to create images that combine science and art to make modern medicine and science relevant and accessible to everyone.
She holds a MA in Medical and Biological Illustration from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a BFA in Scientific Illustration from the University of Georgia. Her award-winning work has appeared internationally in juried shows, exhibits, textbooks, scientific journals, presentations, museum signs, park signs, and websites
.Ikumi works with individual researchers, educators, and doctors to create custom illustrations that are accurate and attractive. When not illustrating surgery and cutting-edge research, she is walking about drawing, counting, and painting birds and keeping a nature journal to observe and understand the natural world through sketching
Dr. Barrett Klein
Entomologist, Science Illustrator, Professor of Biology, Author, TED Talk Presenter, and Lecturer
Our Keynote Speaker at the Conference is the estimable Dr. Barret Klein. Join him at his headling presentation for what promises to be a great experience!
To learn more about Dr. Klein, visit his website link, in particular the NPR interview link listed under media.
"……I study sleep in societies of insects, create entomo-art, and am fascinated by the intersection of science and art. I revel in uncovering ways in which insects affect human culture, and feel most at home either in a forest surrounded by insects, or in a natural history museum of oddities, where I once created exhibits.”
~ Dr. Barrett Klein
Professor, Biology, University of Wisconsin – La Crosse (UWL)
Emily Lewis
Artist and Librarian
Emily Meredith Lewis is an artist and librarian committed to connecting people to nature through art and storytelling. Central to her work is the belief that knowledge inspires care—when individuals understand the world around them, they are more likely to protect it. Emily combines her passion for scientific illustration and education through concept art and illustrations she creates for Field Day. She also teaches nature journaling and drawing workshops for adults. Originally from Virginia, she now resides in upstate New York with her husband and two dogs, drawing creative inspiration from the Adirondacks, which evoke the Appalachian mountains of her childhood.
Taina Litwak
Scientific Illustrator and Board-Certified Medical Illustrator
Join Kathy for a half day workshop entitled "Creating Your Illustrations in Fabric".
I am a natural science illustration artist combining my love of fiber arts, painting, and drawing to design modern signature quilted art. Inspired by my Dutch horticulture heritage and historic natural science art, I love exploring the creatures, plants, and landscapes in my native Great Lakes region with the familiarity and comfort of quilting techniques.
Researching the plant, animal, and/or insect is key to capturing the exact representation. From my drawings and paintings, I create a pattern of my subject taking into account the colored fabrics and thread. My stitching and quilting techniques are key mark-making steps, like drawing or painting, to give my pieces depth and texture.
A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design Natural Science Illustration Program, I also teach nature journaling and art workshops. I was an academic medicine marketing and communications executive in my prior life.
Diana Marques
Manager of Graphic Production National Geographic
Diana Marques uses infographics, illustrations, animations and data visualizations to enlighten, engage and inspire people. She researches, reports and interprets complex information, and makes it approachable with beautiful storytelling. As a manager of graphic production at National Geographic, she creates visual content for the magazine's print and digital platforms in collaboration with designers, developers, and researchers, and leads the production team of associate graphic editors that ensures maps and graphics meet precise print production standards.
The National Geographic magazine has been published continuously since 1888. Reaching millions of readers every month in more than 30 languages as a print publication and many more every day as digital news, the magazine continues to be a reference in quality science, history and geography storytelling.
One of its strengths is the Department of Maps and Graphics whose team works to turn complex concepts into clear compelling visuals. Diana Marques, Lucas Petrin, and Liz Sisk will talk about the intricate process that takes an idea for a map or graphic all the way to its final print or digital form, living side by side with dramatic photography and riveting text.
Fiona Martin
Natural Science Illustrator, Fiber artist, and Instructor
Fiona Martin is a Graphic Artist at The Seattle Times with 20 years of experience in visual science communication. She graduated summa cum laude from UC Santa Cruz, with a B.S. in Marine Biology and a certificate in Science Illustration. Her career began with editing figures for an academic publisher, Annual Reviews, followed by freelancing from her studio Visualizing Science. Past clients include NOAA Climate Program Office, NPS, MBARI, Princeton University Press, natural foods markets, and authors of research papers and books. Her favorite project was illustrating an underwater snorkel trail for the Virgin Islands National Park. In her current position at The Seattle Times, she collaborates primarily with climate, environmental and mental health reporters to create explainer graphics for public audiences. She specializes in digital illustrations, charts and maps, using a combination of Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, ArcGIS and Datawrapper. In her spare time, she volunteers as Managing Editor for the GNSI's Journal of Natural Science Illustration. Fiona was born hard-of-hearing and uses technology, lip-reading and other visual cues to supplement her residual hearing. Fiona resides in the Seattle area with her husband and two children, and enjoys swimming, kayaking, gardening, cooking, and capturing the beauty of the Pacific Northwest in her sketchbook.
Now more than ever, clear and impactful journalism is needed to reach broader audiences, improve science communication and combat misinformation. Visual journalists assist reporters and authors—for newspapers, magazines or other consumer publications—with visualizing complex concepts “at a glance.” We create illustrations, infographics, charts and maps for mobile, desktop, and print. Knowing how to combine illustrations with good design and typography is essential. We strive to reduce academic jargon while making the science as clear as possible. Breaking news might require quick turn-arounds, but most science stories are evergreen, meaning they are produced on longer production cycles ranging from weeks to months. In this presentation, I’ll talk about why I chose to pursue a career with a major metropolitan newspaper after working with academic publishers (freelance and staff positions) for nearly two decades. I’ll describe what it’s like to work with the Seattle Times’ Climate and Mental Health desks, and present some case studies showing how I build illustrated infographics from the ground up.
Catie Michael
Artist, Scientific Illustrator, and Muralist
Catie Michel is an artist, scientific illustrator, and muralist with a background in field research and science communication. She has previously worked for the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, the CA Academy of Sciences, Estación del Mar Cortés, Ink Dwell Studio, and the Golden Gate Bird Alliance. She is a bander for the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies and teaches science illustration courses at the Butterfly Pavilion and the Denver Botanic Gardens. Finding great community in shared curiosity, she examines themes of connection (human/more-than-human), access, and advocacy. She works to create engaging works that celebrate biodiversity, conservation, and community.
Her presentation explores the intersection of ecological restoration and public art through the Nature Notes mural in Arvada, Colorado. It highlights how community-driven art can engage local participants in ecological storytelling, incorporating real-life observations from nature walks into the mural design. The project fosters ownership and connection with the restored landscape, while an augmented reality (AR) guide offers interactive learning about species and the creek’s restoration. Attendees will learn how public art can amplify ecological narratives, create community engagement, and inspire long-term connections to the environment through collaboration and artistic expression.
Regina Milan
Designer, Educator, and Artist
Join Regina for her 2-day workshop creating sunflowers in mixed media.
Regina is a designer, educator and artist. She runs a graphic design firm, teaches design at UMass Lowell, and is also a painter.
Regina is an award-winning botanical artist showing in the U.S and U.K. She has also earned a certificate in Botanical Painting from the SBA in London.
"After twenty years of training, I am happy to share all of the techniques, tricks and tips I've learned during my extensive training! Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your skills, this workshop will introduce you to techniques, tools, and tips to elevate your artwork."
Rosemary Mosco
Author, Illustrator, and Speaker
Join Rosemary Mosco, creator of nature comics, books, and other projects, to hear about her scientific/artistic journey and process.
Rosemary is an author, illustrator, and speaker. She’s written and drawn for The New York Times, Audubon, Rewiring America, the PBS Kids show Elinor Wonders Why, and more.
Rosemary also makes the Bird Word comic strip for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Living Bird magazine. She creates acclaimed science books for kids and adults as well as the nature comics Bird and Moon, which won the National Cartoonists Society’s award for Best Online Short Form Comic, and was the subject of an award-winning museum exhibit. Her climate change comics were exhibited at AAAS headquarters and the Peabody Essex Museum. She loves albatrosses.
Andrew Nixon
Painter, Artist, Printmaker, Digital Illustrator, and Instructor
Join this multi-talented artist in a full day workshop and delve into digital art techniques and the use of Procreate for traditional artists.
Andrew Nixon has taught drawing and painting at universities for more than 25 years, most recently to students at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. A native of Rhode Island, he holds a BFA degree from the School of Visual Arts at Boston University and an MFA from Indiana University’s Hope School of Fine Arts. Nixon’s paintings have been widely exhibited in numerous one-person and group shows in the United States and Europe. His work is in the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, the Newport Art Museum, the Stewartry Museum in Scotland, and several corporate collections. He is a winner of the 2012-13 Pollock Krasner Foundation Grant. Andrew Nixon’s paintings and prints explore stillness, time, and light. Classically trained, and a native of Rhode Island, he holds a BFA from Boston University and an MFA from Indiana University. Nixon has exhibited in numerous one-person and group shows in the US and Europe, most recently at Brown University. His work is in museums and several corporate collections. For more than two decades, drawing was at the heart of his university teaching career. An advocate for traditional skills, Nixon has increasingly found ways to incorporate new technology into his artistic practice.
In his full-day workshop, artist Andrew Nixon demonstrates how the software program Procreate® can enhance and re-create traditional practices of drawing, painting, printmaking, and illustration. An advocate for traditional skills, Nixon will explain why traditional artists are best equipped to take advantage of digital technology. Broadly applicable to many visual disciplines, this presentation offers new creative options in your journey from initial idea to finished work. Providing concrete examples, Nixon explores how this beautifully designed and powerful software can lead your artistic practice in new directions.
Alissa O’Brien
Nature Artist
"My preference is being with nature. In my youth, I began drawing as way to communicate my nature discoveries. As an adult, I chose jobs that were art related - art teacher and landscape designer - but it wasn’t my passion.
Natural Science Illustration became my passion, and I completed a NSI program at RISD. To pay for classes, I worked landscape jobs, and discovered discarded wood was THE medium I could express inspiration from nature. I use pyrography like a tool of a phoenix. I create art using fire to tell the story of extraordinary nature emerging from ordinary sources.
I would like to talk about how nature taught me about art and art helped me learn about nature. I will speak about my artist’s journey of how nature and art wouldn’t leave me alone; how I surrendered to its persistence. I would explain how discarded trees and pyrography have become a way of communicating the wonders of nature and its intrinsic value, by grabbing the attention of anyone willing to take notice. I will also discuss how this led to a solo exhibition combining words of Thoreau with the art I create for Walden Pond in Concord, MA."
Matt Patterson
Wildlife Illustrator, Turtle Artist, Naturalist
There's almost no distance Matt won't go, almost nothing he won't do, to learn all he can about his subjects to make his paintings of wild animals as accurate and lifelike as possible. He’s caught alligators with his bare hands from a kayak. He has pulled giant snapping turtles out of Boston’s muddy river, worked with the Turtle Survival Alliance experts to survey radiated tortoises in Madagascar’s Spiny Forest, and trapped and tagged turtles in the rainforest of Belize. Matt is a member of Artists For Conservation and is a Fellow in The Explorer’s Club.
"My talk will be about my artistic journey. I discuss my work both past and current, my process, and my research and travels. I will discuss my recent books and what I did to research these projects, which will include my work with turtle rescue, nest protection group and travels in the field. Some of which include turtle surveys in Madagascar and Belize."
Dorie Pouch Petrochko
Award-winning Wildlife Painter
Dorie’s paintings reflect a lifetime passion for birds: their plumage, behavior, and adaptability to change. This passion has led to the study and volunteer work in Ornithology at the Yale Peabody Museum, where she is co-founder of their Natural Science Illustration Program and currently teaches courses in Drawing and Painting Birds, Watercolor, Colored Pencil, Composition and Design, and Mixed Media. https://peabody.yale.edu/education/adult-programs/nsi
Dorie is the recipient of many national and international awards for her paintings. Currently she is the Artist-in Residence at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, NY, where she has a one-person show: Tricks of the Trade: A Corvid’s World.
Her personal and private collections of paintings represent lifetime observations of birds and wildlife from CT, Maine, Florida, Arizona and Costa Rica. These subjects vary from local backyard birds to shorebirds, raptors, and botanical themed paintings.
"Corvids have always fascinated me. So much so, that I continually seek out opportunities to watch them just for the pure joy of observing their antics. I will attempt to describe the lifestyles of crows and ravens, their quirky personalities, curiosity, intelligence and adaptability to change. I frequently incorporate crows and ravens into my paintings."
Mallery Quetawki
Communications and Outreach Specialist The University of New Mexico
Mallery Quetawki is from the Pueblo of Zuni in western New Mexico. She is currently a Communications and Outreach specialist with the Community Environmental Health Program (CEHP) of College of Pharmacy at the University of New Mexico Mallery has used art to translate scientific ideas, health impacts and research on uranium mines that are currently undergoing study in several Indigenous communities. Her recent work, titled “Our Cultures, Our Languages” was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The work was part of the Grounded in Clay exhibit, in the American Wing, from July 2023 through June 2024.
Mallery also has a large-scale mural titled, “Morning Prayer”, on permanent display at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, which depicts the history of the Zuni People from Creation to modern times. Other noted work was an interactive Google Doodle that kicked off Native American Heritage Month on November 1, 2021.
In December of 2016, the CEHP inaugurated its first ever Artist-in-Residence program by having Zuni Pueblo artist Mallery Quetawki begin the task of tailoring the program’s scientific research communication to be more culturally inclusive and relatable. At the request of CEHP’s partner communities to use more culturally appropriate visuals, Ms. Quetawki has since created acrylic paintings and digital artwork to portray the complexities of biochemical pathways and other health related information under the scope of an Indigenous lens.
Scott Rawlins
Professor Emeritus of Scientific Illustration, Arcadia University
Scott graduated from Earlham College with a degree in biology, and holds graduate degrees in museum education and medical illustration from the George Washington University and the University of Michigan respectively. Scott is a Professor Emeritus at Arcadia University where he teaches scientific illustration. He also teaches classes for the program in botanical illustration at he New York Botanical Garden. He has served on the boards of the American Society of Botanical Artists, the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, and the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators. Scott’s illustrations have appeared in numerous books, including
Your Inner Fish and
The Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration. Journals that have published his illustrations include
Acta Zoologica,
Harvard’s Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology,
Geobios and
Zootaxa.
The Voynich Manuscript has sometimes been described as the most mysterious book ever written. It is an illustrated codex written in an unknown script and profusely illustrated with images of unknown constellations, unclothed women and bizarre plants. Carbon dating of the pages has concluded it was most likely created in the early 15th century. Despite numerous attempts to decipher the text, the Manuscript continues to be a subject of speculation, investigation and conflicting interpretations. The illustrations of plants are particularly intriguing – are they fanciful depictions of actual species, or entirely imaginary? Beginning with an overview of medieval natural history illustration and an examination of several of the Voynich’s botanical plates, this presentation will then invite participants to offer their own ideas about the origin, form, and function of these otherworldly images.
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Carol Schwartz
Botanical and Science Illustrator, Pencil/Color Pencil and Mixed Media Artist, and Instructor
Join this Natural Science/Botanical mixed media artist in a 2 day workshop and work with mixed media techniques, using watercolor, colored pencil and gouache to capture accurate form, color and details or see her techniques on Open Studio Night.
Charlotte Ricker has a deep love and appreciation for the wonders of nature and enjoys illustrating its miraculous stories. She has had the privilege of creating illustrations, graphic design and concept art for various zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, city institutions, and natural history museums. Charlotte teaches botanical and natural science illustration classes for Denver Botanic Gardens School of Botanical Art & Illustration and Rhode Island School of Design Natural Science Illustration program. She has also taught botanical illustration for Filoli Gardens, as well as online and in-person art, illustration and interior design courses for Savannah College of Art & Design and Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. When she is not working in her studio or engaging with students in the classroom, Charlotte can be found exploring nature, conducting research for her art.
Dolores Santoliquido
Freelance Botanical and Science Illustrator, Adjunct Professor of Fine Art and Illustration, and Instructor
Join Natural Science Illustrator Dolores Santoliquido in a 2 day workshop focusing on the skills and process of creating illustrations with acrylics and colored pencils.
Dolores R. Santoliquido has been a freelance illustrator since 1977 and is currently also an adjunct professor of fine art and illustration at Manhattanville University (42 years). Dolores has been an instructor in the Illustration Certificate at the NYBG program since 1985. She has taught workshops at the Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL, previous Guild of Natural Science Illustrator’s Conferences, the Brookfield Art Center, Brookfield, CT and the Pelham Art Center, Pelham, NY. She works in watercolor, graphite, pen and ink, sculpts in stone and clay, and specializes in working with mixed media colored pencil and acrylic. Dolores’ artwork has been published extensively by such publishers as Knopff Publishers, Random House, Reader’s Digest, Taunton Press and William Morrow. Dolores has had several one-person shows, and her work has been included in numerous group shows, including shows at the Smithsonian, Washington DC, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation
The use of acrylic and colored pencils results in illustrations that have great reproductive quality and luminosity. The instructor will give a hands-on demonstration and thoroughly explain the technique of layering glazes of color pencil and acrylic paint to produce transparent renderings. This technique allows for tremendous detail. Participants will work with their choice of natural science subjects (please bring your choice of subject matter to paint, i.e. shell, insect, small plant, etc.). Instruction will emphasize specific techniques for producing transparent results. Expect to complete at least one painting.
Carol Schwartz
Assistant Professor of Illustration at the University of Hartford
Carol Schwartz is inspired by nature, evident in her 60 picture books about science and nature. Her work is also in countless other publications. She has a MFA from the University of Hartford and a BFA earned at the Kansas City Art institute and Rhode Island School of Design. Her work has been selected for many national exhibitions, including New York’s Society of Illustrators and Focus on Nature XIV and XV.
She is Assistant Professor of Illustration at the University of Hartford, in Connecticut, and teaches in the Natural Science Certificate Continuing Education program at Rhode Island School of Design.
The Artist-in-Residency Panel will give information about different types of artist residencies and their benefits. Factors in choosing an AIR program, and how to find and apply for one will also be discussed.
"The Open Studio Technique Demonstration will focus on the techniques of painting with gouache, and sponsored by Winsor & Newton. I will be using W&N products and am working on getting some type of giveaways. My demo will show the versatility of gouache, using it in its opaque and translucent forms, while working on a botanical or marine species painting."
Hannah Sease
Science Illustrator, Book Illustrator, Artist, and Designer of the 2025 GNSI Conference Logo
Hannah Sease is an illustrator that received her MFA in Illustration from California State University, Fullerton, and her BA in Art from the University of Wyoming. She specializes in watercolor and pen and ink and is especially fond of drawing animals. Much of her time is spent seeking coziness in all its many forms; from campfires, to chicken pot pie, to a nap on the couch, a quality that has also found its way into her art through themes of folklore and rural aesthetics. She enjoys being outdoors collecting, biking, camping, or by a body of water.
“I selected a variety of flora and fauna to represent the colorful biodiversity of Massachusetts and its wide variety of ecosystems featuring organisms that inhabit the sea, soil, and sky.”
~ Hannah Sease
Illustrator and Art Instructor, Centennial, Wyoming
Rick Simonson
Freelance Science Illustrator and Instructor
Join Science Illustrator Rick Simonson in a full day workshop focusing on the process of sketching in scientific illustration.
Rick Simonson currently works full-time as President and Scientific Illustrator at Science Lab Studios, Inc. He has over twenty years of experience as a scientific illustrator and has developed his scientific knowledge through working in academia for twenty-four years. Rick has taught classes in both biology and illustration: a wide range of biology lecture and lab courses at the undergraduate level; scientific Illustration courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels both in-person and online; and presentations and workshops on scientific illustration techniques and practices at professional conferences. As a result of this combined expertise, he has been able to produce work that has been featured in scientific journals, textbooks, lab manuals, technical manuals, websites, and gallery exhibitions.
Ret and Karen Talbot
Science Writer and Illustrator
Ret and Karen Talbot make their living communicating science through words and art. Ret is a science writer and author covering the intersection of science and sustainability, and Karen is a scientific illustrator best known for her work with fish. They have collaborated on projects ranging from tiny coral reef fish to very large white sharks. They live on a small farm on the coast of Maine.
The Communicating Science through Words and Art presentation looks at the Talbot's collaborative work communicating science to a general audience through both words and art. From their work in pages of National Geographic, to book-length projects and everything in between, they'll share how they have worked together, as well as with a variety of editors, co-authors and co-illustrators to bring important stories of science to life in a compelling format.
Karen Talbot
Science Illustrator, Birder, Artist, Conservation Advocate, and Teacher
Work with Karen in a full day workshop "Illustrating Fishes–History and Techniques" or meet her and her husband Author Red Talbot at a presentation titled "Communicating Sciences through Words and Art".
Hailing from Rockland, Maine, Karen has masterfully captured fishes, birds and botanicals she encounters while traveling the world with sketchbook in hand. Karen's work is unique in that it possesses the detail of a scientific illustration, while, at the same time, presenting an esthetically pleasing work of art that is as at home in a corporate office as it is in a streamside cabin. A diver, angler and hiker, Karen creates images from nature in a variety of media, including watercolor, pen & ink, and acrylic. An ardent conservationist, Karen aims to educate through art.
"…. I prefer to work from actual specimens," she says, "and most paintings begin with field research. In the case of birds and botanicals, I do lot of field notetaking, sketching and photographing. When it comes to the fishes, it usually means getting wet. All of my notes, sketches and photographs are invaluable when I get back into the studio and start creating the studies for the final piece."
~ Karen Talbot
Scientific illustrator and conservation artist, Rockland, Maine
Frances Topping
Botanical and Science Illustrator, Plein Air Artist, Journal and Sketchbook Artist, and Instructor
Join Natural Science Artist Frances Topping in a full day workshop improving your observation and sketching/note taking skills and see her techniques during Open Studio night.
"I have degrees in Geography with Botany and Zoology, and Graphic Design along with numerous workshops in watercolor, plein air, composition and nature study have honed my skills. I use my journal/sketchbook when traveling and recording nature where I find it and have taught/encouraged many. I have been a GNSI member for many years and look forward to reconnecting.
Since much of our time is in front of screens, this is an opportunity for a break with your peers to relax and focus far and wide. No pressure, no deadlines, no judgement. I will share some techniques and materials to facilitate sketching and offer encouragement to sketch quickly and find the main elements. If willing to share we can make copies to collage into a sense of place and memento of the conference. If you don’t regularly sketch to keep your hand in, now is your opportunity to take a break and return to your roots. I like sketching for travel, nature, landscapes and recording events. While some nature journals can have a finished look this is a quicker sketching opportunity. Some sketches can be seen on my website."