Mermaid Scientist

Juvenile sargo (Anisotremus davidsonii) are out here in shallow coastal waters, schooling up and rocking their signature stripes from Southern California to Baja California.

But plot twist:
this isn’t even their final form.

As adults, they switch it up, trading multiple stripes for one big, bold stripe,
No notes.

I am tickled to grace the cover of the recent California Dept of Fish and Wildlife By the Numbers Report, counting and measuring Pismo clams. All the California fisheries and research tallies from 2025 are in this report, and a few of my fish illustrations. Available on the CDFW website for those who are super into numbers. 🐟🔢

Big ocean moment 🌊

Honored to serve on the Advisory Council for the newest National Marine Sanctuary in the United States — the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.

This is history-level cool. New sanctuaries are rare. They take years of vision, science, advocacy, and collaboration. To see one designated here on California’s Central Coast is extraordinary.

Even more meaningful: this sanctuary will be guided in partnership with the Northern Chumash Tribal Council — a powerful step toward a more inclusive, culturally grounded approach to ocean stewardship.

I previously served on the Santa Barbara Channel National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, and stepping into this new chapter feels like both a continuation and an evolution.

Grateful. Energized. Ready to get to work. 🌊

Meet the Zebraperch—a fish that is absolutely not a perch. It’s a Sea Chub.
Yes, SEA CHUB. I don’t name them, I just paint them.

Scientifically: sea chub.
Socially: perch-adjacent.
Aesthetically: striped and fabulous.

My watercolor of this cute fish living its best mislabeled life. 🐟✨

Meet the Sirajo Goby — the Caribbean’s tiniest waterfall daredevil. 🐟✨
This fish leaves the tropical ocean to tackle a rushing cascade…and yes, it literally crawls up vertical waterfalls to mate.

Armed with a sucker-like pelvic disc and more determination than seems reasonable for a creature this small, each goby begins an uphill journey that would make even seasoned professional climbers say “nope.” Some make it all the way. Many…well…succumb to the powerful waterfall and plunge to their death.

I painted this little adventurer for a NOAA Fisheries technical paper — a watercolor tribute to a species that proves science is full of surprises, courage comes in tiny packages, and gravity remains undefeated.

Side note: Research was a challenge for this illustration since peer reviewed morphological information is minimal, the most recent is from 1961 by and NOAA helped me track down and verify with current goby experts.

A few other cute fun facts that I find endearing: In Puerto Rico they go by the name of “olibo” or “chupa piedra” (rock hopper). The Cuban name is “Sirajo”, in Jamaica it is “ticky-ticky” and in Haiti “tilagal.” This fish would be a perfect hero for a kids book!

These are my scientific illustrations of the South Mountain crayfish (Cambarus franklini) — a newly described species found only in the upper South Fork of the Catawba River basin in North Carolina. 🦞✨ 4568

Created for a NOAA technical manual, this little crayfish represents the kind of biodiversity that still surprises us — hidden in small mountain streams, waiting to be documented and protected.

🦞 No claws. All charisma.
The California Spiny Lobster — painted entirely in watercolor, with hours of fine detail work to capture its rust tones, sweeping antennae, and intricate spines.

Unlike its Maine cousins, this West Coast beauty relies on speed and armor, not pincers. Their long sweeping antenna give them so much personality and expression when they wave them about in real life. This is one of my favorite California invertebrates and I’m honored Ingot to paint it for my Fish and Wildlife job🌊🎨

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California Spiny

How to measure your Barred Sand Bass. An SOP illustration for the California Dept of Fish and Wildlife by me 🐟🎨❤️