Student Artists Join WFSU Ecology Blog

I’m excited to announce a new collaboration with two new Florida State University students, Maddy Oliva and Nicky Ven. It started with an offhand comment to Chris Watkins at FSU Sustainable Campus, that I’d always wanted to have scientific illustrations on the Ecology Blog. By the end of the week, they already had me in contact with two interested artists.

I love the illustrations I see in field guides and other reference material. They let us see details we might not see in a photo. And, aesthetically, I just think they look cool. My hope is that this collaboration will enhance the way we present natural north Florida to our readers.

The other thing that excites me about this collaboration is that we can continue to highlight talented students. This past semester, FSU Sustainable Fellow Ivy Ercoli spearheaded our No Mow March campaign here in Innovation Park. And we have another nature-art project in thew works. Look for details on that soon.

Thanks to Chris Watkins at FSU Sustainable Campus for all of these fruitful new connections. Now, without further ado, let’s meet the artists!

Madeline Oliva

Hi guys! My name is Madeline Oliva and I am a current sophomore at Florida State University and I am a Studio Art and Biological Sciences major. I am originally from Miami, Florida with a Cuban and Colombian background. Ever since I was little I had an interest in both Biology and Art, and I originally faced a lot of difficulties trying to find a common ground for both interests. However, I discovered the career path of Scientific Illustration towards the end of high school. After I graduate I plan on earning a Master’s degree in Medical/ Scientific Illustration. 

My personal work consists of semi-realism and self portraits. I like exploring how my traditional cultural background interacts with my personal identity. I work both traditionally and digitally. In my free time I like to listen to music and spend time in nature. I am so excited to get started with WFSU!

A sampling of Maddy’s artwork:

Nicky Ven

Hey y’all! I’m Nicky Ven and I am currently a sophomore at Florida State University majoring in Computational Biology and Studio Art. I am from Jacksonville, Florida and the daughter of Khmer immigrant parents. Art and Biology have simultaneously been my favorite subjects. I’ve also always had an interest in video games; they are a way to make art interactive. In my senior year of high school, I discovered that scientific illustration exists, specifically medical illustration. Scientific illustration is an extremely diverse field which combines all of my interests, not only illustration but 3D modeling, animation, and interactive media. I hope to go to grad school to pursue a career in medical and biological illustration. 

My personal work consists of drawings of animals. I create art both digitally with Procreate and Clip Studio Paint, with some experience in game design in Unity and Unreal Engine, and traditionally with color pencils.

A sampling of Nicky’s artwork: