Hello, there!
I'm Cassandra - an Ohio-based illustrator, nature enthusiast, and lover of old things
I create intricate gouache illustrations of native flora and fauna that highlight the overlooked details and connections in nature - building meticulous dimensional artwork to share the sense of wonder & beauty experienced from studying these small ecosystems
My work is rooted in curiosity — in a tendency to become wholly absorbed in the minute details of the natural world, and a longing to understand them more fully. That impulse traces back to a country childhood, where I was often found drawing and creating tiny enclosures for whatever manner of critter my mother would permit me to collect. My grandfather’s extensive shelves of reference books made for good learning companions in these times, which served to nurture a lifelong affinity for a good field guide.
​
As an adult, those early fascinations have evolved into a practice of collecting, recording, and sharing my observations through my artwork - often from studying species I've encountered at or near my home in the country.
I work from my southern Ohio home studio with views of the Appalachian foothills. Here I am constantly in awe of both that wide, rolling expanse - and the amount of various critters, insects, mushrooms, lichen and plants I can observe by simply walking out my back door.
While not obsessing over various spiders found in the wood pile, I try to live a slow and happy life with my husband, daughter, spotted hounds, flock of chickens, and all the insects & animals that our garden unintentionally supports.
I am equally drawn to the everyday objects of the past, particularly those that display a thoughtful balance of beauty and utility. My own shelves hold antique field guides, bits & bobs & old bottles, tiny tins, typewriters, and a treasured 1910 working microscope. I come by my packrat tendencies honestly, descending from a long line of collectors of everything from rocks to hand-blown glass to old television tubes.
In my most recent work and ongoing series, I unite these interests — miniature ecosystems, scientific inquiry, and antiques — creating a fictional collection of live specimens housed in vessels a Victorian citizen scientist might have kept close at hand.
Let's become pen pals!
Add your name to the ledger to receive occasional missives of artistic endeavors, interesting tidbits
on flora & fauna, unearthed ephemera, upcoming events and exclusive offers!
