Echinacea and Tiger Swallowtail

In watercolor
December 2003

This piece is painted in botanical style on a white background. The Echinacea was modeled after some pictures that I took on my trip to North Carolina and the Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus glaucus) was modeled from a specimen in my insect collection.

>> Collection of Ms. Christine Mayeux <<
- Louisiana -

Wildflowers - Second Chance

In acrylic
February 2005

I did this one especially for Mr. Glen Bigler. It was an attempt to reproduce the first piece. He enjoyed the first version but would like to have a larger version and so this one was born. Recreating this one gave me a second chance to analyze the methods I used for the first one. It is not the exact replica but has its own distinctive features that are not found in the first. They are of the same style, the same subjects, but not the same painting.

>> Collection of Mr. Glen Bigler <<
- California -

Geometry

In acrylic
June 2005

Although this was a little rough to do for a first piece but I managed. It took longer than I expected to just throw a bunch of shapes together. And staying inside the lines was very difficult to do. If I had not tried doing this style myself, I would not have been able to appreciate as much the work that go into other pieces like it.

Pitcherplants

In watercolor
July 2005

This piece was inspired by the art of Walter Anderson. It in no way close to his beautiful and often times very vibrant paintings, but it is a start. This was my first piece in an attempt to do something modern. It is not so abstract. I would like to make the leaves less predictable in future pieces.

Morning Glories

In watercolor
November 2005

The trip to Grand Isle, Louisiana this summer was very productive. I caught the tiger beetles I wanted and got lots of excellent pictures. On the beach, there grew a magnificently white morning glory. A truely magnificent adapation to dessication had allowed this plant to survive on the very hot sands beamed down by the hot sun. I've decided to continue practicing Walter Anderson's style so this piece and the following two are somewhat similar in style.

Hermit Crab and Shell

In watercolor
November 2005

While walking across the beach in Grand Isle, Louisiana this summer, I came upon a dead hermit crab basking in the hot July sun. I could not help but take a picture, which turned out to be some of my best. Here I turned the pale crab into something more colorful. This turned out to be one of my most favorite pieces.

>> Collection of Dr. Meredith Blackwell <<
- Louisiana -

Irises Vermillion Red

In watercolor
November 2005

Of course, if I'm going to try anthing new, I must try it with an iris. There is a cultivar of iris here in Louisiana that is red in color. I've decided to make it the subject for this new piece.

Charybdis

In watercolor
December 2005

Almost a psychedelic dream this piece was with all the bright colors and swirls. But no, the idea it dawned upon me while sitting in Mythology class. We were along side with Odysseus as he passed the giant whirlpool of the Ancient Mediterranean. As for Scylla, a little imagination may be called for.

Tropical Ginger

In watercolor
December 2005

Yet again another very brightly colored painting of a tropical ginger that I encountered at Barro Colorado Island, Panama. An artful plant growing with its leaves spiraling up and eventually reaching the top where a single flowerhead perched. The leaves stood blending in with all the green of the surrounding leaves from afar. But it does not wish to hide its singly marvelous bright orange flower head. Here I blend the plant into its background, and again, the flowerhead stands out in all the madness of colors.

Rowan

In mixed media
December 2005

This piece is named for my very good friend Rowan Santenen who lived in Finland for a while. It is brushed with much thought for her. The earthy colors and blend of sometimes certain yet mystically blurred shapes are always evident in her artwork, not to mention the color red. Patches of writing, layers of paints and splattering of ink are her signature, and I have incorporated them into this piece.

>> Collection of Rowan Santenen <<
- Finland/Louisiana -

Resurrection

In watercolor
January 2006

The resurrection ferns grows all over the LSU campus on high branches of ancient oak trees. When dried, the leaves curled up into a brown and uninteresting mass and the plant goes into metabolic arrest. However, upon reconstitution by water, the plant wakes and the leaves return green and lush again. That is the origin of the name "resurrection fern". I named this piece "Resurrection" because of the name of the plant, but also because of the color of the leaves, which represents the flowing blood of resurrection. It is one of my best watercolors.

>> Collection of Dr. Meredith Blackwell <<
- Louisiana -

Basidiobolus

In pencil
July 2006

A very interesting fungus that is associated with insects. The fungus travels through the intestines of geckos as the insects are eaten and pass out through the feces. When the fecal pellet is reconsituted by water, the fungus grows out, forms a mass of spore and then the swelling underneath gets larger with increasing water pressure until it pops and the spore mass is shot off! What an amazing system for spore dispersal. I sketched this piece as a donation to the Mycological Society of America, annual society auction.

>> Collection of Dr. Daniel Henk <<
- Maryland -

Mycena acicula

In watercolor
February 2007

This is a very tiny mushroom that I collected on a fungal forray earlier this year. There is beauty in it's simplicity. I painted this, plus three other botanical pieces as a donation to the Department of Plant and Microbiology at UC Berkeley where I am currently studying.

>> Collection of the Department of Plant and Microbiology <<
- University of California, Berkeley -

Arabidopsis thaliana

In watercolor
February 2007

The department would not be complete without a painting of an Arabidopsis. Many labs here and around the world depends on this little plant as a model organism for genetic studies.

>> Collection of the Department of Plant and Microbiology <<
- University of California, Berkeley -

Eschschozia californica

In watercolor
February 2007

California poppies are vibrant flowers that can be spotted from far away during the moist spring months in central California. It is quite an amazing flower with very delicate yellow to orange petals.

>> Collection of the Department of Plant and Microbiology <<
- University of California, Berkeley -