Beyond Illustrating Nature | WANDERLUST

Dates | July 8-Oct 5, 2025
Location | Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, Pacific Grove, California, USA

About the Exhibition

This in-person exhibition features 17 of my favorite marine themed illustrations and projects. In partnership with the California State University-Monterey Bay’s Science Illustration Certification Program, the museum showcases a rotating exhibit every quarter that features graduates from the program and exemplifies the matrix of science, art, and nature. I’m grateful to the museum for their dedication to the program graduates and for the opportunity to share some of my journey with you.

I’ve chosen to share some of my favorite marine themed illustrations and projects since graduating thirty years ago from the Science Illustration Certificate Program. It was a stellar education and the skills I learned helped me create my own unique approach to combining science and art. These skills provide me with a visual megaphone to speak for animals that live in a place that is still largely unexplored — our oceans. It’s a humbling mission. I observe the world through their eyes to discover what I feel connects us to their world. I often work with dedicated scientists that add layers of richness to those stories. What I enjoy most about this career is connecting with and fathoming the undersea realm. Each artwork label offers a story as to why it’s a favorite of mine. I hope it connects you in unexpected ways with these amazing creatures thriving in, on and by the seas.

I live just outside the Black Forest in Stuttgart, Germany but will always call Monterey Bay home. I grew up in Missouri, graduated from University of Missouri, Columbia with a Biology degree and moved to California to become a marine biologist. I lived in the Monterey Bay region from 1990 to 2005, was a student at both Hopkins Marine Station and Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, and received my Science Communication certificate in Natural Science Illustration while the program was at University of California, Santa Cruz. I did my science illustration internship at the Lawrence Hall of Science, MARE (Marine Activities Resources and Education) Program, University of Berkeley, California and shortly after was hired by Monterey Bay Aquarium. I have the honor of being co-creator of their first website and worked on amazing projects in both the Print Graphics and Exhibit Design departments. I met my husband while he was attending the Naval Postgraduate School and we moved to Washington state in 2005, Germany in 2008, Hawaii in 2013 and returned to Germany in 2019.

Wanderlust [German: a passion to travel, explore], describes a constant inner drive to explore nature and the world. It fits perfectly with the initial drive I had to become a scientist and help humanity thrive, to the epiphany I had while diving with Antarctic as a benthic ecology student — creating connections with the beauty and wonder of Nature is just as important as all the knowledge in the Universe. My love for both science and art nurtures these connections with the ocean’s flora and fauna through the stories I share as an artist, designer and children’s book author-illustrator.

Birds & Mammals (select an image to open the pop-up window)