2022 Juried Members' Exhibition

Barbara DeGraves is a freelance natural science illustrator and nature photographer. With over 30 years of experience, she renders her realistic art in a variety of techniques but prefers colored pencils, pastels and ink. Through art and science, she strives to help others understand and appreciate the natural world.
Barb grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, but spent weekends on the family farm in southern Ohio. This time in the countryside, observing the life cycles of domestic and wild animals helped influence her to study Biology. At the same time, Barb had a passion for art and drew interesting specimens she found on the farm.
She completed her BA in Zoology at Miami University and took classes at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Barb continued her studies at Case Western Reserve University receiving her MA in Medical and Scientific Illustration. She then took a position as a staff medical illustrator at North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh, North Carolina. Barb also lived and freelanced in Auburn, Alabama, and Columbus, Ohio, and now makes her home in Bowling Green, Kentucky. She has illustrated textbooks and articles for university professors. Her work has appeared in Purina Mills publications, EQUUS Magazine, Dressage Today, Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association, and Veterinary Medicine.
Currently, Barb is pursuing nature illustration and photography in her south-central Kentucky home studio.