Meet the Artist

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Erika Beyer

Drawing/Painting

Erika works from her studio in Eugene, Oregon. She has an undergraduate degree in geology and graduate degrees in scientific illustration and architecture. Erika currently teaches at Lane Community College. She grew up in Oregon and is enthusiastic about exploring the state's natural areas. The inspiration for many of Erika's illustrations comes from observing plants and animals near her home or while abroad. She enjoys hiking, camping, natural history field guides, traveling, good books, work by other illustrators, gardening, cooking, dogs, and spending time with friends and family.

She describes her paintings as “scientific storytelling” and they allow her to play with time and space, speeding up and combining images to show an entire sequence, process, or story in a single illustration. Although she prefers to draw from live specimens, occasionally her work requires imagination to illustrate subjects rarely seen. She also relies on field guides, academic journals, folklore, and scientists as part of her process. She works primarily with watercolor and gouache on paper.

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