Andrew Leach (2012)
Andrew’s skills and background are varied and versatile. He earned a BS degree in landscape architecture from Temple University and a BFA with a concentration in painting from the University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown. In 2012 he received a Graduate Certificate in Scientific Illustration from California State University, Monterey Bay.
As a small child Andrew drew and painted birds and other animals, but as he grew older he explored other creative fields—craftsman, designer, picture framer, woodworker, registered landscape architect, and fine artist—although his work has always explored the topics of native versus non-native species, wild habitat loss, and extinction. Andrew’s strong illustration skills and his background in landscape architecture made him ideally suited to create behavioral graphics for the Lab’s Birds-of-Paradise Project website, working with Tim Laman, Edwin Scholes, and other staff at the Lab. Andrew cites this collaborative, creative, and high-profile work as being among the most rewarding projects he did as a Bartels Illustrator.
Following his participation in the Bartels Science Illustration Program, Andrew was hired as an illustrator for the All About Bird Biology website. He then went on to illustrate a coloring book about Birds-of-Paradise with the Cornell Lab Publishing Group and work as a full-time freelance illustrator. After leaving the Lab, Andrew combined his landscape architecture and science illustration skills to pursue a career in zoo habitat design, working for SHR Studios on Bainbridge Island, WA, where he designs master plans and habitats for zoos around the world. He writes, “I have created a niche for myself in the field as not only a designer but also as an illustrator of wildlife habitats and visitor experiences,” and he credits the program with helping him fine-tune his skills and identify his illustration strengths.
Gallery
