ABSTRACTIONS • I usually tell people that my life can best be visuallized as a Jackson Pollack painting - from the outside it can look disorderly, but there are distinct threads and themes that tie everything together. One of the most consistent threads that has wound through my life and art is a reverence for the natural world in all its forms and complexity.

BACKGROUNDS AND INFLUENCES • In my early years I studied physics, art and architecture. For three years I lived in Japan, where I studied Japanese calligraphy (Shodo) and ceramics. I have also worked extensively in hot glass, wood-block printing, and drawing. I enjoy making art in many forms, including lighter more fun works for children's books (here is a recent favorite).

 

My influences have been diverse and go way beyond the natural world. Like many other people, I've been profoundly influenced by music. I taught myself to play piano, and I still play a bit every day - mostly Bach.

WHY SCIENCE AND ART • Throughout my life I have always walked a line between the worlds of art and science. In the nineties, I entered a graduate program in ecology and evolution. My decision to pursue advanced work in biology, came about from a need to understand the natural world more thoroughly. As much as anything else, training as a scientist helped me understand the role of creativity in our world and the nature of creativity within myself.

I worked extensively in the tropical rainforests of Central America – an experience that shaped my life as profoundly as the years I spent in the Orient. While working in the tropics, I also delved extensively into photography - a medium that I have worked in since middle school.

After finishing my doctorate, I helped found an interdisciplinary research and outreach institute at the University of Texas called the Environmental Science Institute. I left the institute in 2007 in order to return to my own works so that I can better communicate my wonder, astonishment and concerns about the world to others.