For the past two years, I have found myself hyper-focused on the processes, mediums, and creations of scientific illustrators. I am a young, confused artist with the daunting task of choosing a career looming above me. I began exploring various artistic fields and stumbled upon one which resonates with me deeply.

Having always been torn between the sciences and arts, I learned that my vastly different interests seem to work in unity through scientific illustration. To apply myself to my new interest, I became a junior scientific illustrator and formed a research portfolio of my own. I competed for scholarships to fund my research in 2024 and was off to Catalina Island Marine Institute to SCUBA dive and photograph marine life.

Having returned from my trip, I now use the hundreds of photographs I took to create scientific illustrations that study and display the marine life of Southern California. In the featured piece, I take inspiration from scientific field journals where I note the location, species, and depth at which I pictured my specimen. I create these pieces not only to build my experience but also to bring awareness to the beautiful marine life found right off of our coast.