Home The Aesthetic Mollusc

I became fascinated with snails while in
graduate school and years as a professor of
zoology have increased this fascination for all
invertebrates. They are too often neglected
for their value to our understanding of the
natural world and their aesthetic qualities are
not fully appreciated. Although the beauty of
shells has long been a subject of artistic
representation, the living animal has color,
form, and personality worthy of an artists
efforts as well. I try to capture this beauty of
form, color and personality with a combination
of the traditional stippling of scientific
illustration and the dynamics of painting with
acrylics.
I hope you enjoy these creatures as much as
I do.

My most recent:

Critters of the Water Drop : Spinning
Water Fleas
acrylic on paper 10" x 16"

A common microscopic freshwater
crustacean found in shallow waters

In an age when we can destroy our
environment, our survival may well
depend on the conservation of all parts of
the natural world. To do this we need
knowledge of that world and deep
respect for it. That respect grows out of
an aesthetic awareness of the beauty of
the world of living things. I try to capture
that beauty in those aspects of nature
that are too small, too fast, or too unusual
to have captured the popular imagination.
In viewing these images, I hope you
come to have a greater respect for all the
worlds creatures.