After learning that I have chosen a career in Science Illustration I am typically asked two questions, What is Science Illustration, and how did I get to be in such a small, specialized field?

The answer to the first question is pretty direct. Science Illustration is the art of so accurately rendering subjects that scientists in the field can find the information they need in the image. It is used to portray images that are difficult or impossible to photograph, such as clarifying an anatomical dissecton, portraying a cross-section of a prehistoric lake, or any of the millions of molecules in our cells. These images are used in museums, textbooks, scienctific magazines, and field guides.

The answer to the second question tends to turn into a biography of my meandering career path. I have enjoyed art since I could hold a crayon, but always kept it as a hobby for personal escape and meditation. After participating in the creek restoration and fish hatchery program United Anglers at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, CA, I went to Feather River College in the small mountain town of Quincy, CA to study Wildlife Biology. After completing my A.S. I decided a career in Fish and Game was not for me, and changed biological disciplines to the cellular/molecular concentration available at Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA. That concentration is actually a slightly shorter version of pre-med, and I didn't really realize what I was getting myself into. I persevered, and found the mechanisms and behaviors of proteins to be a mind-boggling, fascinating world.

I had a couple science instructors who, seeing me sketching, suggested I look into science illustration. To me, that meant dry, boring textbook drawings. Not interested. But once again it was brought to my attention when one of my neighbors attended the program at UC Santa Cruz Exension. I finally looked up their website, and I was hooked! I wanted to be able to draw like that. Science illustration is a way for me to combine my interests, to be able to learn about all kinds of subjects, to share with others what I had already learned, and be able to help people who are being asked to vote and make medical decisions on brand-new science understand what is being asked of them. (Did that last bit make you hear some cheesy, dramatic swelling music? Maybe some singing angels thrown in? Yeah, sometimes it can't be helped.) I have finshed the one-year class portion of the Science Illustration program, and I will receive a Master's Certificate after completing a ten week internship.