ArtTalk is a regular feature of the Lakes Region Art Association. ArtTalks occur on the third Monday of each month, January through October.

Guest Speaker:

Raisa Kochmaruk

About our Speaker:

Raisa Kochmaruk is a scientific illustrator and science communicator at the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, a small environmental non-profit in Woodstock, NH, that supports long-term ecological research. She is also a freelance portrait artist and muralist. Raisa received mentorship in anatomical illustration of birds as an undergraduate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where she had the opportunity to illustrate for Cornell’s Museum of Vertebrates. Raisa loves using art as a medium to translate complex scientific concepts into beautiful and accessible works that help the public gain understanding of science and grow in appreciation for the natural world. Her favorite bird to draw is the barn swallow, and her favorite type of commission is a wedding portrait.

Short Description of Art talk presentation:

Raisa will start off by giving participants a beginner-friendly overview of the field of scientific illustration, noting major contributors, such as Audubon and Haeckel. She will talk about how earlier versions of scientific and natural illustration have advanced public understanding and appreciation of ecology through time, long before modern technology made digital diagrams possible!

She will then guide participants through a simple drawing of a Common Loon, starting with recognizing the basic shapes which make up the loon’s body. Students will have the opportunity to add watercolor to their drawing as well, if they wish.

Materials include:

• Drawing paper and watercolor paper

• Graphite pencils

• Sharpeners and erasers

• Small watercolor brushes

• Pan of watercolors

Schedule depending, Raisa may bring a colleague from the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation who can talk about summer ecology and opportunities for science education.