University of New England

From Observation
to Illustration:
Scientific Illustrations by the
New England Chapter of the
Guild of Natural Science Illustrators
Sept. 13 - Nov. 9, 2008

Bruce Bartrug, "Double-banded Courser"

Tricia Cassady, "Crab apple (Malus spp.)"

Gretchen Halpert, " Double Bloodroot (Sanguinaria L)"

Kathy Kelly," American robin"

Gallery Talk
Sunday, Sept. 14th,
1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
A talk by Gretchen Halpert, the exhibition's curator

The Exhibition
Scientists have documented their discoveries through text and illustration ever since there were tools to mark with. While the fields of both science and documentation have become more specialized, many illustrators today still hold degrees in both science and art. From viruses to planets, discoveries are still being made and illustrators are there to analyze and document them.

"From Observation to Illustration" features works by 24 scientific illustrators from the New England Chapter of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators. This exhibition will include a wide assortment of techniques and subject matter, from quill pen and ink to digital, and from botanical to medical illustrations, as well as working sketchbooks.

Curator Gretchen Kai Halpert worked as a research scientist for 24 years and has been a freelance illustrator for 20 years. She taught at the Rhode Island School of Design/CE, Brown University and Wheaton College, and has offered workshops around the country and abroad, including the Humboldt Institute and Spannocchia Foundation.

Her drawings have appeared in books, journals and scientific publications. She is on the executive board of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, Inc., as immediate past-president, and is founder and past-president of the GNSI-NE. Halpert can be reached at gretchen.halpert@gmail.com.

The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, Inc. is an international organization based out of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.

The organization was established in 1968 because of scientific illustrator Carolyn Bartlett Gast's interest in bringing the scientific illustrator community together. The Guild was founded with twenty-one members and reached more than 1,000 members by 1993. To learn more, visit www.gnsi.org.