Nature Studies

As I mentioned on some previous post, I enjoy being a docent at the Smithsonian's Naturalist Center in Leesburg, Virginia. They let me arrive once a week (usually Fridays) and hang out with their wonderful specimens. I try to be helpful but, honestly, I'm no science teacher and leading a 7th grade group through the concept of classification is way out of my league. That's a task better left to the professionals. My main goal is to make life easier for the staff by helping with extraneous little projects like installing artwork or helping design a lepidoptera index drawer. When I'm done looking helpful, I enjoy my own little scavenger hunt ~ opening drawer after drawer each brimming with natural history! "Kid in a candy shop" does not begin to describe my experience.

Inquiry-based Inspiration

A while back, I got the urge to seek out some resources to help broaden my understanding of plant life and nature. As a former botany student (way back when) I enjoyed learning about plant structure, form, and systematics. My knowledge has waned a bit in the intervening years and, honestly, I wanted to get my hands on a microscope again.

Living not far from Washington DC, the obvious choice is visiting the Museum of Natural History. Before jumping in the car, I visited their website to see if they offered a resource room of any sort and what kind of credentials you needed for access. Voila! They offer a free, hands-on research facility, the Naturalist Center, located in Leesburg, VA ~ a tad closer than DC and I don't even have to drive downtown! It's open to everyone, free of charge, lots of parking. Microscope included!

What you encounter when you walk through the door, aside from the gracious staff, is a kid- and family-friendly activity room chock full of natural objects to touch and learn about. And then, there's the research library: endless cabinets of wonder:




It's hands-on ~ but there are proper ways of touching this stuff without ruining it for the next guy. The staff and volunteers will lead you through easy guidelines for opening drawers and not petting polar bears with the palm of your hand, etc.

They offer a sizable botany library and plenty of herbarium specimens to examine and photograph. For me, it's like a dream come true. It was all so amazing that the next thing I knew, I was filling out a volunteer application form ~ and have been going back every Thursday to help out. My current task is to frame the scientific illustrations donated by Johns Hopkins students using found or free materials ~ and to try and remember to get some reading in!

Work Spaces

Folks often ask me about my work space. When they step inside, they're usually astonished that it's organized. I'm not sure why. Perhaps they're expecting drifts of paper scraps or floor to ceiling stacks of newspapers. I just can't work with mess all around so I keep it kinda tidy, it's true. My studio is also pretty small. I admire those huge, airy artist's studios with the soaring windows and towering ceilings ~ but honestly, I'd be lost. I'd forget where I left my glue bottle and then work would grind to a halt till I found it. I like to keep things simple, so small is better for me.


Folks also wonder what I listen to while I work. Although I am a great fan of all sorts of music and my selection lists on iTunes are legendary ~ I'm a fan of the podcast. There are several that I listen to while I work ~ Radio Lab, This American Life, Selected Shorts, and (a must) Marketplace. I've been learning a lot more about collateralized debt obligations lately than I'd care to know but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Music makes me want to move around too much so I save it for when I'm framing or cutting a huge stack of mats.


Another question that I hear quite often is about inspiration. What inspires my work and how do I seek it out? My next post will be about my interest in natural history and how that led me to become a volunteer at the Smithsonian's Naturalist Center in Leesburg, VA.