I'm so excited to be able to announce that I will be heading out to the Experimental Lakes Area in Ontario for a week this June to serve as their very first artist in residence. It's an honour to have been chosen to take part in this new program.
As a former field biologist, I have found memories of working in field stations. It's always a fun and interesting mix of scientists, support staff, students and visitors. In this case, I'll be the visitor and I'm looking forward to approaching this through that lens.
ELA is a beautiful collection of boreal lakes that have been used as study systems for several decades. Research done at the station in the 1980s was instrumental in understanding and mitigating the effects of acid rain. Today, many studies are examining at the effects of hydrocarbons, like oil spills on the lakes, as well as climate change and I'm looking forward to learning about the work in more detail, as well as exploring the forests and lakes in search of inspiration and subjects to draw and photograph.
