Scientific Illustrator

[arianovizio]

So last week was career week at Cal. Among the sundry activities planned for that week were career talks by various successful graduates. One of these was by a woman who majored in art and is now doing scientific illustration. (interesting to note that the only art practice talks were given by a scientific illustrator and a decorative painter) So I arrived at the room at the selected time, had to double take at the room number to check if I was in the right spot because there were only 2 people there. But knowing my dear old art department, I decided it probably was the correct room and time, so I went in. This "talk" consisted of 4 interested students and the head of the department conversing with the graduate (who was now in her 50s) about her art career. She made her own journals and then carried them into the field, creating beautiful landscapes and expressive trees with watercolor. Have I mentioned that I've recently become obesssed with watercolor? So I flipped out, and decided then and there I was going to become a scientific illustrator. But I wasn't going to paint landscapes and trees, oh no....my goal had to be refective of my other life-long obsession (not gryphons) but animals. So of course this decision led to a bout of excited career research online, at which point the obvious dawned upon me. One can't become a scientific illustrator without a science background! Well, I thought, that's cool too. Maybe bio never struck me in high school because I had a bad teacher. However, I wasn't going to make my previous mistake in thinking I wanted to depend on getting paid for my art. So I'll choose a major which leads most closely to my working in wildlife conservation, getting paid to save wolves while painting them for fun until someone decides they need my illustration talent and I earn money working at what I was doing anyway.

but I really never did like bio.

so that's not where the story ends.

next installation:
Animal Psychologist.