Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland, 4’x6’, oil on canvas

My work is meant to be a portrait of the ecosystem of Lookout Mountain, focusing specifically on canopy species. As a part of my project, I did extensive research on the surrounding forests, and chose a few species as representatives. The trees in this painting are Sand Hickory (Carya pallida) Red Maple (Acer rubrum) and Chestnut oak (Quercus montana) In my painting, the forest is both tree and cell, microscopic and massive. I want to ask the viewer to see both the particularity of science and the imagination of art. Curiosity and wonder are important themes as I am exploring these ideas. My work stems from a desire to see the beauty in creation. Through both science and art, I want I learn more about the world around me. I see both as a way to explore the world and share those discoveries with the people around me.

Douglas Fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii
Oil on paper, 22x29”
There is so much more to the forest than what meets the eye- every tree is made up of trillions of cells, each more complex than we even know. From forest, to tree, to branch, to cell, every part is working together in harmony. In this illustration, the canopy view of a stand of Douglas fir trees is overlaid with a cross section of one of the stem cells, showing the intersection of micro and macro in a single image.