THE FLORIDA FIELD GUIDE PROJECT
The Florida
Field Guide
An artist-led record of Florida's wild places.
The Florida Field Guide is an ongoing body of hand-carved artwork, field research, photography, writing, and conservation storytelling documenting Florida’s native wildlife, habitats, and natural history.
Each new species becomes another entry in a growing record of the Florida that exists around us now: what lives here, what makes it remarkable, and what is worth paying attention to before it disappears from view.
WHY THIS WORK EXISTS
Curiosity leads to understanding.
Understanding grows into appreciation.
Appreciation inspires conservation.
I grew up in a Florida that looked different than it does today. Orange groves stretched for miles. Ranchlands felt endless. Scrub, wetlands, pine flatwoods, rivers, and coastlines were not destinations. They were simply part of everyday life.
Over time, I watched many of those landscapes change or disappear. The Florida Field Guide grew from the belief that art can do more than decorate a wall. It can make us curious. It can make us look more closely. And it can help us build a stronger relationship with the species and places that are easy to overlook until they are gone.
HOW THE FIELD GUIDE IS MADE
From field to carving.
In the Field
I begin by observing Florida firsthand: photographing wildlife, walking habitats, recording what I see, and paying attention to the details that help a species make sense within its environment.
Research & Study
Field observations are supported by scientific publications, field guides, museum resources, wildlife photography, researchers, and other reliable sources that help me understand anatomy, behavior, habitat, and ecological relationships.
Develop Composition
I create and refine the Field Guide proof digitally before committing the composition to paint. This is where anatomy, perspective, visual storytelling, and the relationship between the species and its environment are worked out.
Build the Layers
The physical artwork is built from dozens of individually painted acrylic layers. Each layer becomes part of the final image before any carving begins.
Carve by Hand
Traditional carving tools are used to cut back through those painted layers, revealing color, texture, depth, and light through subtraction rather than addition.
Add to the Field Guide
Every finished carving becomes another entry in the growing Florida Field Guide: part artwork, part field record, and part invitation to look more closely.
EXPLORE THE SPECIES
One species at a time.
The Field Guide grows one species at a time. Birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, insects, plants, and other Florida natives all belong to a larger story about the places they inhabit and the relationships that hold those ecosystems together.
Some species begin with a field encounter. Others come through research, conservation partnerships, or recommendations from people following the project.
THE FIELD GUIDE IN THE WORLD
Bringing art, nature, and stories to communities across Florida.
Mobile Exhibitions
The Florida Field Guide Mobile Exhibition brings artwork, demonstrations, and conservation storytelling directly into communities around Florida.
Conservation Partnerships
Collaborative projects with conservation organizations connect artwork with the research, habitats, species, and people working to protect Florida’s wild places.
Research Collaborations
Selected Field Guide works are informed by scientists, researchers, and subject-matter experts whose knowledge helps strengthen the accuracy and context behind the artwork.
Talks & Demonstrations
Artist talks and live paint-carving demonstrations bring audiences into the process and reveal how field observation, research, painting, and carving come together.
Public Events
Art shows, festivals, nature events, exhibitions, and community programs give the Field Guide a life beyond the studio.
CONSERVATION & RESEARCH
Art in Service of Place
The Florida Field Guide is built around a belief that knowing a place changes how we value it.
Research, firsthand observation, and collaboration deepen each species story. Selected releases and partnerships also support Florida conservation while carrying those stories beyond scientific and conservation communities.
WHAT BELONGS IN THE FIELD GUIDE
Help Build the Field Guide
There are thousands of Florida species and only one of me.
If there is a native plant, animal, fish, bird, insect, or other species you think belongs in the Florida Field Guide, I want to hear about it. Tell me what you would like to see added and, if you have one, tell me why that species matters to you.
BRING THE FIELD GUIDE HOME
Follow the Field Guide
You do not have to wait for an exhibition to follow the project.
Florida Field Guide Society members receive two new 5 × 7 Field Guide Proofs each month, along with Notes from the Field and member benefits that connect them more closely to the ongoing project.
SHOP
Originals
Signature Proofs
Open Edition Proofs
Apparel
Stationary
