KATHLEEN MARIE GARNESS, BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATOR
Natural science illustrators work together with scientists to create images that inform, inspire and share a more nuanced understanding of the natural world unattainable through photography. The artist can clarify complex images and processes, and produce educational materials for all ages.
This month scientific illustrator Kathleen Garness invites us to watch pencil studies evolve into finished paintings and illustrations that explore the role of light and space while conveying details about our native orchids. Much of her artwork reflects not only her life-long fascination with orchids, but her field experiences through Plants of Concern's rare plant monitoring program at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Kathleen worked as a commercial artist for over a decade before taking up the banner of natural history art. Classes in Morton Arboretum’s certificate program of botanical and scientific illustration allowed her to study with some of the best teachers in the Midwest. She has worked with the Field Museum and The Nature Conservancy to produce educational materials for the growing community of natural areas restoration volunteers. A grant from the American Society of Botanical Artists allowed her to introduce botanical illustration to a new and more diverse audience. Participation in the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Plants of Concern program offers Kathy a unique window into the artistic connections between ecology and the lure of the beautiful as well as the tensions between wildlife under pressure and the demands of human need.
“Our elusive and disappearing native orchids highlight the close and subtle interrelationships within the natural world. Because orchids are so sensitive to their environment they have much to teach us about living in harmony with nature.”
To see more of Kathy’s artwork, visit her web site.
