Statement

The North Woods of Minnesota are one of the most ecologically, geologically, and aesthetically interesting places on earth. Here the youngest sediments from the Ice Ages lying atop some of the oldest rocks on earth and support northern hardwoods and boreal conifers as well as early successional aspen and birch. Here we find the highest diversity of birds north of Mexico, moose and snowshoe hare, and insects with spectacular population dynamics such as spruce budworm and tent caterpillar. This is where I live, research, teach, draw, and paint. As a professor of Biology at the University of Minnesota Duluth and as an artist, I try to understand the texture and choreography of North Woods as species populations rise and fall, as they interact with one another and with their environment, and as they recover from fires, logging, and other disturbances. Drawing and painting the North Woods helps me dive deeply into what makes them so visually beautiful. I get the same feeling of beauty when drawing and painting the North Woods as when I discover a new and interesting property of it through my research. Deep down, science and art are two expressions of the human need to find beauty.

Osprey #3