ART - Maria Giuliani

Julia Ruth-Garlic (Allium sativum), Jenn Deutscher-Salamander (Phaeoceros pearsonii),
Maria Giuliani-Pelican (Pelicanidae sp.), Donna Miskend-Rose Poseidon (Rosa poseidon)

Poe Park Visitor Center 2640 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 

Hours: Tues-Fri 9-5 Sat 8-4 ph.718.365.5516

accessible by subway: D and 4 to Kingsbridge station or Metro North Fordham station

EYE ON NATURE, artists explore the world of plants and animals

Maria and I met at a class at the New York Botanical Gardens. I love the bold, graphic quality of her work, and invited her to be part of this exhibit.  

LOSING (Polar Bear,
Ursus maritimes©Maria Giuliani 2018, digital

Donna Miskend: Do you have a favorite subject?

Maria Giuliani: Right now I am having a great time drawing birds. I also like creating posters with social content and exploring the relationship of message and image. 

OYSTER, process©Maria Giuliani 2018

DM:What medium do you prefer to work in?

MG: I work either totally digital or mixed media. I usually sketch by hand. Once I bring my sketch into the computer, then I work with illustrator. Sometimes I use color pencils or acrylic paints over Epson prints on art paper. 

Tinglar y Uva Playera
Leatherback and Sea Grape
(Dermochelys coriacea
and Coccoloba uvifera)
Digital 
©Maria Giuliani 2018

DM: Of the work on display in the exhibit, what piece was the most challenging and why?

MG: The leatherback turtle. I wanted to create a poster-like image and a strong sense of symmetry which restricted the composition. Incorporating elements like textures and letters can be challenging. Once you add type, legibility becomes an issue. It took me awhile to get the work Tinglar (as they are called in my native Puerto Rico) the way I wanted it. 

DM: Why did you decide to embrace the discipline of botanical and natural science illustration?

MG: I started having an interest in this discipline a while back. First with photography, then with drawings and graphics. Nature is perfect, and it offers beautiful colors and playful shapes and patterns. Eventually I found a style I was comfortable with, and I wanted to create more and more. 

DM: Who are the artists past or present who influence your work?

MG: Lorenzo Homar was a Puerto Rican artist and printmaker. I was always fascinated by his style and the way he incorporated images with calligraphy or lettering on his silkscreened posters. I am currently following the work of Martina Flor who is a lettering artist. I also like the work of illustrator Owen Davey.

DM: What would you like people to know about your work?

MG: I love what I do. I have lots of fun doing it. I hope that that comes across in my style and my work.

You are invited to read my thoughts and interviews with participants of the exhibit (click links):

Jennifer Deutscher    Stephen Paul DeVillo  more work on exhibit 

BIO: Maria Giuliani, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico is a designer, artist and educator. Her work is very graphic and illustrative in nature and uses multiple mediums. Her artwork has been exhibited at the Baltimore Gallery (Detroit, Michigan) the National Arts League, the Huntington Arts Council, and the National Association of Women Artists. Her design work has been exhibited at the 13^th International Poster Biennial in Mexico and the AIGA; her book designs have received awards at the New York Book Show and the AAUP.

Giuliani received an MS in Communication Design from Pratt Institute and is an Associate Professor at New York City College of Technology, CUNY. She resides in Queens, NY. 

Participating artists: JuliaRuthart.com 

Jenn Deutscher www.alithographica.com 

Maria Giuliani.   http://mariagiuliani.com 

Donna Miskend www.donnamiskend.com and https://donnamiskend.blogspot.com

ART- JENNIFER DEUTSCHER, natural science illustrator

I interviewed Jenn for an article that appeared in the Botanical Artist Journal (click to read) in 2016. Her work will be on view in the exhibit I've curated, EYE ON NATURE, ARTISTS EXPLORE THE WORLD OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS, on view September 1 - October 27, 2018. She will be on the artist panel discussion at the opening reception Saturday, September 8th.

DM: What have you been doing since you completed your certificate in botanical illustration?

JD: I'm working as a freelancer, mostly for private clients. Recently I've completed an annelid illustration for a research paper and botanical labels for a line of herbal products. I've also taken on the role of Social Media Coordinator for the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI). On the personal side, I've gotten into printmaking - it has been a while since I have gotten to explore a new medium, especially one that lends itself to detail work. It has been a lot of fun.

DM: Do you still want to join a scientific expedition as the illustrator?

JD: Absolutely! It will always be a little dream of mine. In the meantime I'm enjoying sketching on my own trips.

ballpoint pen ©JennDeutscher2018

DM: Do you have a favorite subject?

JD: I'll always have a soft spot for skulls and bones. They just have such interesting topography. 

DM: Tell me about your illustration process. 

JD: Whenever I have an idea for a work, I try to make a few rough sketches before anything else. I find it's easiest to figure out your vision before adding external ideas. After a few sketches I go out and research - both for visual references and scientific information. From there, it's a back-and-forth between working and researching, gradually building towards a final product.

DM: What are your favorite tools for work by hand?

JD: For technical work I love pencil or a Micron pen. Whenever I do personal work, though, I love Papermate InkJoy's ballpoint pen. It's a fairly standard office pen but is just delightful for sketching. I also have a fondness for oil painting and would love to work more in oils in the future.

DM: And for digital illustration? 

JD: I do my digital work on a Macbook with an old Wacom Intuos 3. I've had that tablet for probably 10 years now and aside from one cable replacement it's still going strong. My favorite art program is currently Clip Studio Paint, though I still go back to Photoshop for text and complex editing.

Indian Smooth-Coated Otter©JennDeutscher2018

DM: What else do you want people to know about you or your work?

JD: My work in ballpoint pen has been unexpectedly meditative. I participate in a weekly drawing night at the American Museum of Natural History and have dabbled in many different mediums there. I decided to try out pen sketches for Inktober in 2016 - it's a community movement where artists work in pen and ink for the month of October. I quickly realized it was actually an improvement over my normal pencil work. I'm an artist who fusses a lot, and sometimes I get in the way of a work's progress for the sake of getting a few lines just right. In pen I'm forced to simply keep moving forward. As a person with a lot of anxieties and hesitations in my daily life, it has been a nice reminder that sometimes you just need to keep moving on and improving as you go rather than trying to get everything perfect on the first try.
website: www.alithographica.com 

Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlithographicaArt

Jennifer (Jenn) Deutscher is a scientific illustrator from Phoenix, AZ. She spent much of her childhood outdoors and became fascinated with the beauty and mystery of the natural world. Part scientist and part artist, Jenn uses art as a way of documenting her observations. Her works encourages viewers to appreciate and rethink the world around them.

Jenn now resides in Brooklyn, NY with her ever-growing plant collection. After graduating from New York University in 2015, she completed a Botanical Art & Illustration certificate at the New York Botanical Garden. She is now a full-time freelance scientific illustrator and fine artist., and acts as the Social Media Coordinator for the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI). 

Julia Ruth-Garlic (Allium sativum), Jenn Deutscher-Salamander (Phaeoceros pearsonii),
Maria Giuliani-Pelican (Pelicanidae sp.), Donna Miskend-Rose Poseidon (Rosa poseidon)

Poe Park Visitor Center 2640 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY Hours: Tues-Fri 9-5 Sat 8-4 ph.718.365.5516