Environmental Science Art

A series of classes for adults and teens. Each 2 or 3-hour workshop includes a 15 minute fun science talk focusing on local ecology and environmental issues and is followed by a brief art skills lesson, and then plenty of time to create your art.

Designed for community centers and organizations, condominium resident programming, Public Libraries, State & City Parks, environmental education programming, or other educational venues.

A sample of the many environmental-science art topics I offer — all classes are beginner-friendly. More topics are available, and I’m always open to developing new ones.

• Bird Migration: Make a Zine
  Learn all about birds and how to make a classic zine (fan magazine). A fun class that dives into amazing journeys birds take annually, touches upon punk rock history, and ties it all together with a creative zine-making workshop.

• Beneficial Garden Insects: Watercolor Bees, Butterflies, and Beetles
  Discover the beneficial insects in gardens and your local park. Then relax with a watercolor workshop, painting a few colorful creatures.

• Environmental History of Newtown Creek
  We’ll begin with the Lenape and the first European settlers, then explore the environmental damage that accelerated during the Industrial Revolution — including the massive underground oil spill and the ongoing Superfund remediation. Afterward, tell your own story by creating an accordion book.

• Oysters! Watercolor Triptych
  NYC was once the oyster capital — discover its fascinating history while exploring the basics of color theory and beginner-friendly watercolor techniques. Then create a charming triptych featuring oysters

• Local Flowers/Intro to Botanical Illustration
  Bring your pencils, paper, and favorite color media to learn the basics of this technical and creative art. We’ll have fun with warm-up exercises, color mixing, realistic drawing, and starting an illustration.

• Cycles in Nature/Phenology Wheel
  There are many cycles in the natural world. Even in NYC, plants, trees, animals, the season, moon phases. Discover how to draw a wheel and create a visual record of the cycles in nature around you.

• Salt Marsh Flora & Fauna Bookmarks
  Create small watercolor or drawing studies inspired by our local waterfront, then transform your artwork into a beautifully finished set of bookmarks. Decorative papers and ribbons are included.

• Tides & the Moon
  Learn how the moon shapes our local tidal strait, then create a layered paper shadowbox using markers, scissors, and glue.

• Tardigrades: Water Bears
  Use a microscope to search for tardigrades in our park’s soil, then create a layered paper shadowbox inspired by these tiny creatures using markers, scissors, and glue.

  Other topics include: crabs, mollusks, cephalopods, nebulae and galaxies, and more.