A.M. Rasmussen grew up in Idaho where she learned to love nature and nurtured an interest in drawing. Her curiosity and respect for nature led her to university where she studied biology and used art to support her science training. A.M. recently received a Doctor of Arts in Biology where her focal research explored how illustration can facilitate science education and research. In biological illustration courses and workshops, she engages students, educators, and researchers in using illustration as a learning tool to observe, record, and communicate science and nature. A.M. is an educator for informal and formal life-science education and participates in ecological research. As a biological illustrator and science communicator, she creates artwork for museum exhibits and materials for science education.
Artist’s Statement
As a biological illustrator, I seek to represent nature through detailed illustrations. These accurate representations depict organisms, relationships, and processes in efforts to visually convey knowledge of science and nature. I intend to show the beauty of nature to spark curiosity about and respect for the natural world. I hope to overcome misconceptions and negative views of the value of nature and its organisms through accurate and engaging illustrations. My work supports science education and outreach by bringing nature and science research into the visual realm to make it more accessible and approachable to a wide audience. My broad science training and knowledge facilitate investigations into a range of topics from botany to herpetology and other organismal sciences, ecology and conservation, and paleontology. Along with pursuing my own roles as a science illustrator and communicator, I am helping future and current scientists use drawing as a tool for observing, recording, learning, and communicating.
My art uses the communicative elements of illustration to open gateways of knowledge and meaning. Art is a pathway of discovery and of knowing. Through interactions with art, we develop a unique understanding of the natural world and our place within it. Science and art are two languages used to ask questions about and describe the natural world. When art and science are integrated in purposeful innovations, a more holistic understanding can be found.
I want viewers of my art to know that science and art are important elements of the human experience. We are stewards of the natural world and should do what we can to preserve it. Through illustration, I hope to introduce, inform, and increase awareness. My artworks are earnest depictions of nature, interpreted through the lens of my fascination and respect. I hope the art that I present to the world communicates these feelings and intentions, along with scientific knowledge to open minds and influence action.
