I create my images by arranging plants from my 1/4 acre garden on a flatbed scanner and scanning them to a computer, where I edit them in Photoshop. Each image takes between two to five hours to arrange, and several weeks of editing. The inspiration comes from Dutch Renaissance and Baroque botanical art, from Russian lacquer boxes, and from my own research as a biologist and horticulture amateur. I do not know what moved me to change from my DSLR to the scanner – a technology which also which uses a photo sensor that turns optical information into digital information -  but from the very first image I scanned in May 2018, I realized this opened up something in my brain that needed unleashing.

I am a professor of biology at Western Washington University, Washington State, USA. I study genetics using fruit flies as a model. But I also have a passion for gardening, and for art. In a former life - before I became a biologist, I was a singer of classical music, and I have retained a deep love for Renaissance polyphony, for all the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and the Four Last Songs of Richard Strauss.

Professional roles: None of the above

Location: United States