Biographies
Find out more about our amazing speakers, Instructors, presentors and team members.
Andrew Nixon
Betsy Barry
Charlotte Ricker
Dolores Santoliquido
Dr. Barrett Klein
Dr. Janine N. Caira
Frances Topping
Haley Grunloh
Hannah Sease
Jay Block
Karent Talbot
Kathy DeVries
Mary Jameson
Michale Glennon
Rick Simonson
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
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
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)
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
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.
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
Charlotte Ricker
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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
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.
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.
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.