TITLE: Burying Beetle* (11″x14″)
MEDIA: pen & ink, watercolor
STATEMENT: Burying Beetles are one of few known insects to exhibit care of young.
This illustration demonstrates a mix of intense pen & ink detail, combined with loose, expressive washes indicative of grasses in the background.
TITLE: Fragmented series* (8″x8″ each)
MEDIA: pen & ink, graphite, watercolor
STATEMENT: Amphibians are experiencing massive extinctions and population declines. North Carolina is home to the greatest amphibian diversity in the world, so the loss and fragmentation of Pine Barrens habitat is severe. This artwork was inspired by broken glass. The missing shards weaken the stability of the remaining pieces. The bright beauty when the picture was complete is slowly falling to ghostly remains.
TITLE: Lupin* (6.5″x10″)
MEDIA: pen & ink, watercolor
STATEMENT: The corpse flower blooms for just one day, attracting fly pollinators with their stench and warmth. This illustration was completed in one hour, at the peak of the bloom.
TITLE: Birds in Religion
MEDIA: pen & ink, colored pencil
STATEMENT: Birds are found in stories of every major religion. This piece combines eight sacred or revered birds into one mandala.
TITLE: Insect Biodiversity* (6″x8″)
MEDIA: pen & ink, watercolor
STATEMENT: The decline in global insect populations is dubbed “The Insect Apocalypse” due to the reliance of ecosystems and humans on these animals. This painting illustrates just a few of the five largest Orders of insects in a riot of color.
TITLE: Leaf-footed Bug, on Yellow
MEDIA: acrylic, sharpie, white out
STATEMENT: I painted this piece as part of a 3-hour workshop intended to increase appreciation of insects. The unconventional media allowed everyone to learn about insects, their anatomy, and leave with their own 18″x24″ painting.
TITLE: Gosling* (10″x7″)
MEDIA: carbon dust
STATEMENT: Completed as part of a carbon dust workshop (by Marlene Donnelly), this small gosling is a member of my neighborhood flock, backlit by the rising sun.
TITLE: Trout Lily
MEDIA: pen & ink, watercolor
STATEMENT: This spring ephemeral plant blooms from the forest floor in early spring, before the towering trees above grow their leaves. To me, it’s symbolic of a delicate strength and overlooked survival.
TITLE: Carapace Cornucopia* (11″x14″)
MEDIA: pen & ink, watercolor
STATEMENT: Who doesn’t love turtles, especially a big pile of them? This painting communicates the shared ancestry of all turtles. While colors, patterns, and shapes may vary among species, their successful body forms and carapace structures are identical.
TITLE: Mountain Farm
MEDIA: watercolor and rice paper
STATEMENT: Created at a Gerald Brommer workshop on watermedia collage, this piece emphasizes organic materials and shapes.
TITLE: Shell1* (5″x7″)
MEDIA: pen & ink, watercolor, white gel pen
STATEMENT: Shells are the remains of mollusks (sea snails). They serve an important ecological role in calcium and carbon cycles in the sea. This painting required dozens of layers of paint to create the deep, velvety dark background.
TITLE: Fish & Maine* (4″x6″)
MEDIA: pen & ink, watercolor
STATEMENT: The rustic setting matches this quick and bright travel sketch, drawn from a shady lawn on Monhegan Island.
TITLE: Turkey Vulture* (11″x14″)
MEDIA: pen & ink, watercolor
STATEMENT: We tend to dismiss some species as ‘ugly.’ Yet all species are interesting and unique. This painting emphasizes the vultures bright, aristocratic beauty and fluffy charm.
TITLE: Appalachian Biodiversity (compilation from dozens of members of GNSI at the 2017 conference)
MEDIA: colored pencil
STATEMENT: I organized and researched over 100 species native to the mountains of North Carolina. Artists selected a piece of each mandala ‘puzzle’ with corresponding reference images. In the end, I compiled all the puzzle pieces into three 3’x3′ mandalas showing the wondrous biodiversity of this unique and ancient ecosystem.
J.M. Landin 