Illustrating Nature 2025

Jacquie Villa Rajerison (she/her) is a marine ecologist who aspires to create immersive marine art, drawing her viewers into an oceanic adventure. At 11 years old, she met a leopard shark and has proceeded to be fascinated by the ocean ever since. Her love of communicating sea-related stories flourished while working on rocky intertidal research projects; both in undergrad at UC Davis and as a lab assistant at Bodega Marine Lab. You can often spot her knee deep in tide pools, crawling like a crab among the rocks to research and sketch marine invertebrates such as anemones, snails, and sea slugs.

Kara Mohr is an illustrator and designer originally from Texas. She loves all flora and fauna, but holds a special place in her heart for bears, frogs, salamanders, tapirs and educating the public on how to coexist with nature. While not making art, you can find Kara hanging out with her dog, Woods, and flipping over logs looking for salamanders.

Gage Hansen is a science illustrator from San Jose with a BS in marine science and a minor in studio art from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He works in traditional and digital media, but also enjoys creating sculptures through various materials. While not making art, Gage enjoys long walks on the beach to look for shells, sea glass, and cool rocks.

Natalie Chan is inspired from living in the rich biodiversity of Hong Kong and California. She explores the vibrancy of life through color in her work, using illustration to inspire others about science. Her mother enlightened her how creativity in art can offer new perspectives on existing subjects. Deeply impacted by this insight, Natalie used it in her honors thesis at UC Riverside by illustrating her research species. This experience deepened Natalie's desire to use art to make scientific discoveries accessible to a broader audience. Ultimately, she hopes to collaborate with researchers to share their discoveries more widely.

Julia Devine is an illustrator from Sacramento, Ca, with a BFA in Illustration from California State University Long Beach. Growing up on the pacific coast, Julia was constantly exposed to the creatures that call California home and often found herself taking inspiration from them in her art. Her mission is to one day work alongside researchers and educational experts to develop visuals for both scientific research and public outreach. When not creating art, Julia can be found playing guitar or out hiking looking for lizards.

Mirit Rutishauser (they/them) is originally from New York City, and earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Vassar College. Growing up in the city, Mirit took any opportunity to explore the natural world - this often resulted in bringing home worms and other critters from local parks, much to their parents’ delight. They discovered a love of botany and invasive species ecology during undergrad, and have spent countless hours in the field looking at cool plants. Their work aims to bridge the gap between art and science, creating illustrations that make scientific concepts accessible and interesting to a wide audience. When not making art, Mirit can be found hiking, playing board games, or practicing circus arts.

Gabriela Aguilar (she/her) is an illustrator originally from San Diego, CA, with a bachelor's degree in physics and a deep love for the natural world. While working in the semiconductor industry, she became increasingly passionate about protecting the world around us. She enjoys making complex scientific concepts accessible to the public and believes that everyone should have the tools to form educated opinions about topics that directly impact their community. Ultimately, she aims to use her artwork to galvanize the public to take climate action more seriously by drawing on the collective human experience, fostering a deeper understanding and emotional connection to nature. In her free time, she can be found at the beach or in the woods looking for bones and critters, trying to teach her dog how to be polite, and watching comedy and horror movies.

Iffat Karim (she/they) has been a decade plus long painter. Her art practice has evolved from fantasy worldbuilding, to surreal narratives, to now science illustration. Iffat believes that creative expression and studying the natural world is the truest way to exist. As an emerging artist she centered her work on the natural sciences, and multiculturalism in art history. Along with partnering with Chicago museums and organizations to bring art activism and programs to underfunded underprivileged communities. Iffat aspires to continue being of service to disadvantaged communities, to bring support and resources. Now as a Science Illustrator, she plans to continue her science studies, and collaborate with research laboratories, and grassroots organizations, essentially joining the solarpunk movement.

Cassidy (Cat) Smith is an illustrator born and raised in New England with a BS in Zoology and minor in Studio Art from Oregon State University. Cat spent her childhood immersed in the woods of rural Vermont where her love for the sciences and arts was nurtured by her parents. After moving to Massachusetts in her adolescence, Cat took every opportunity to explore these subjects no matter how far they took her. Like across the Atlantic Ocean doing study abroad in Portugal for marine science, or going to college across the country to study zoology. During her undergrad Cat balanced her science degree with her art minor, working two illustrative jobs at the university’s media network, and a year long Art-Sci fellowship. Cat now seeks to pursue this balance of science and art in her career to help better inform the general public on ongoing developments in the scientific community.

Maureen Kahn is a scientist and illustrator from the shores of Lake Michigan.  At Carleton College in Minnesota, she began to study geology and fell in love with learning and teaching science outdoors.  She pursued this through a masters in structural geology and tectonics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, while trying to keep a practice of making art.  As a science illustrator, Maureen seeks to tell stories through deep time, shine a light on overlooked species, and help communicate important intersections of the natural world and public health.  These days, if not drawing or researching, she’s likely reading about fish evolution, staring at moss, or looking for lizards and snakes.

Brittany Finch is a Montana-based artist whose work is deeply rooted in her connection to the Mountain West. Growing up near Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the U.S., and working as a horse packer and ski guide, she developed a profound appreciation for the outdoors that continues to influence her art. With a B.A. in Education from the University of Montana, Brittany blends her love for nature, artistic practice, and passion for education through natural science illustration. The rich ecosystem of Yellowstone, along with its ongoing research, serves as a constant source of inspiration. Through her illustrations, Brittany aims to enhance understanding of nature, promote conservation, and make often overlooked yet invaluable scientific concepts more accessible and engaging to the communities who share these lands.

Erin Vance (she/they) aims to facilitate memorable positive connections between humans and non-humans with unconventional angles and interactive compositions in her artwork. As someone who spent a lot of time in the woods behind her Maryland home, Erin was surprised that not everyone shared her interest or even familiarity with non-human beings. After graduating from Rice University with a BA in Ecology and Evolutionary biology and a minor in Environmental Studies, Erin worked as an environmental educator and helped children and adults connect with local Houston wildlife. At the same time, Erin developed a mild obsession with iNaturalist (@RinnyVanVan). Erin’s top interests include birds, fungi, and foraging and you can probably find her in a tree or on a top of a large rock when she isn’t drawing.

Elise Cypher is from Oakland, CA, with a BA in Biology and a minor in art from the College of Creative Studies at UC Santa Barbara. She is obsessed with plants and natural history, and has done fieldwork monitoring frogs, fish and plants. In her free time she likes to run, mountain bike, and collect natural history guides.

Natasha Pascal is a certified arborist and zoology enthusiast, eager to understand and illustrate the ‘how’s’ and ‘why’s’ of the natural world. Her mission is to use her skills and abilities to better communicate, educate, and inspire people about the plants and animals that also inhabit this planet. There is something so pure and fulfilling about seeing someone’s eyes light up when they are speaking about something that they are excited about or when a concept finally clicks. These little fires of passion or interest bring joy to life. When she isn’t at the drawing board, you can find her climbing trees or skydiving.

Olivia Meurk is a fine-artist and illustrator from San Francisco, CA, with a BFA in individualized studies from the California College of the Arts. She is passionate about the entwined histories of art and science, and their epistemological merit to each other. Her work aims to invite questions and interest about the world around us through aesthetic and accessible art pieces.

Cali Tutkowski is a science illustrator from Colorado, with a B.S. in Botany from California Polytechnic University, Humboldt, who has a love for all things botanical. Inspired by the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and the Redwood forests of California, Cali works to create art that is educational and accessible, to help people learn about the natural spaces around them, and to encourage care and conservation for our wild spaces. In her free time Cali can be found tide pooling, examining moss and lichen, or enjoying a good horror movie.

Jacob Bettencourt is an illustrator from Oʻahu with a BS in biology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and an all-around lover of plants and invertebrates. Growing up on an island, Jacob took a lot of what surrounded him for granted and only through his undergrad did he rediscover his appreciation for the natural world. With his art, he hopes to emphasize the importance of native biodiversity and conservation within his work, highlighting the living things that are often overlooked in the daily hustle and bustle. When he’s not drawing, you can find Jacob with music blasting in his ears, squatting to take a picture of a funny bug on the sidewalk.

Rushi Tawade was raised in Denver Colorado and Mumbai India, and has lived in California for the past six years. Every educational and professional decision he has made, from obtaining a bachelor's degree in Ecology & Evolution, to working as a seasonal biologist, to pursuing science illustration, has been part of a grand scheme to spend as much of his time as possible indulging in the natural world and somehow making a career out of it. When he’s not drawing cool plants and critters, he is very likely outside looking for cool plants and critters. Feel free to strike up a conversation with Rushi about 90’s hip-hop, salamanders or local cryptid lore.