Nova has been making art since they were old enough to hold a pencil. This creative outlet has been used throughout their life to challenge their perspective, explore, and connect to the natural world around them. They initially went to college for studio art, switching to an outdoor education major after realizing their passion for the outdoors. As they finished their degree they continued to build their art skills, finding new and creative ways to bring art into the realm of outdoor education.
An ink drawing of E/V Nautilus' ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) Hercules exploring a newly-found whale fall, commissioned by their shipmate.
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Now, Nova combines their drawing skills with their love for wildlife and storytelling by recreating what they find as they travel for expeditions and television shoots. These drawings range from quick sketches, to technical drawings, to juggling watercolors at sea, and anything else they can get their hands on. They also take commissions, often capturing unique moments for the colleagues and scientists they expedition with.
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Their most common on-the-go drawing takes place in a bullet journal they started at sea aboard the E/V Nautilus in 2021. With this journal they've illustrated their adventures; from deploying a miniature deep-sea Wall-E to capturing the essence of a high-speed Pizza Hut drag racing car, meeting the highland cows of Kodiak, Alaska, and conducting juvenile shark science in the archipelago of Turks and Caicos, their drawings - and their commentary - are anything but dull.
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A technical drawing of an engine block and Pizza Hut race car on location while shooting a drag racing show in Alabama.
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Nova's intent with creating this body of work is to design new ways to communicate science in addition to their film and photography work. Art has a unique ability to capture an audience in ways that matter-of-fact documentation and storytelling often cannot engage. To expand their reach, these drawings are also posted onto social media to explain the sciences they are documenting and how to find out more information about the project.
A journal entry made during a storm while on a research expedition aboard the R/V Nancy Foster in the Gulf of Mexico.
A shipmate stands near an autonomous lander as they prepare it for deployment. Photo taken by Nova while at sea with the University of Rhode Island.
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Although drawing from life is often a best practice, there’s seldom time to sit down and draw during an expedition. Nova often translates their photography into illustrations for their journal entries, making their photography part of their illustrative practice. Nova has found that the more mediums they explore in application with science communication, the further they refine and broaden their respective skill sets.
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An illustrative journal entry Nova made during a bad weather day at sea, based off of a photo they took during the expedition.
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Since starting their journal, Nova has been exploring other new and creative ways to communicate the science they document while on expedition. While working with an InstaPro 360, a cutting edge 360 camera equipped with Mantis underwater housing and rigging, they were inspired to create timelapse recordings of their drawing process. This idea opened a whole new world of possibility as they realized new ways they could combine their skill sets. Nova's goal with these videos is to share how they make their drawings and inspire others to use more art in science and exploration.
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Nova’s display, including their film trailers, photography prints, a hoodie they designed, and large-scale recreations of their technical journal.
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In 2024 Nova had the opportunity to create large-scale recreations of their illustrative journal entries for AltaSea’s Blue Hour in the Port of Los Angeles. As Nova’s first public exhibition, they received an overwhelmingly positive response that has inspired the expanse of this concept. Nova is now working to increase the body of work in this collection, with the ultimate goal of using this series to bring stories of the wild closer to audiences who may not have direct access to the ocean.
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Below are highlighted pages from Nova's sketchbooks, technical journal, and other expedition artwork.
Click the images to learn more about their location, science, and back story.
Click the images to learn more about their location, science, and back story.
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Website created and updated by Nova West
