Nature Art and Knowledge with Catherine

Enjoy the beautiful art and knowledge from Catherine Gowen, Artist, Biologist, Naturalist, and Conservationist. See more of her work on Instagram

Catherine is a native of the South Shore of Long Island NY, and grew up living on the family boat each summer in the salt waters of the islands and states bordering Long Island. Living in close contact with the elements of wind, wave and weather sparked her interest in the natural world.

Her formal education includes a graduate degree in biology and biochemistry with coursework in botany, plant physiology and taxonomy, and ecology. She’s done botany fieldwork and prepared herbarium specimens, and uses plant taxonomic identification keys.

In the arts, Catherine is mainly self-taught. She uses watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite, and is grateful for the teachings of botanical artist and illustrator Ruth Tietjen Council. Catherine received Certificates of Botanical Illustration from Cornell University, Dept. of Horticulture Distance Learning, and University of Newcastle Australia Natural History Illustration Distance Learning, and is a member of the Society of Wetland Scientists and the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA).

Catherine’s paintings and illustrations bring attention to plants, birds, and fragile environments and their conservation. She uses live specimens as well as herbarium samples as the subjects of her artwork.

Her work has been shown in regional juried exhibitions in NY, NJ, VT, and PA, and is in private collections. She donates a portion of the sale of her works to environmental conservation organizations. Catherine currently resides in Princeton NJ.

Wild Pink Sorrel Watercolor Sketch

Water Color Kit

Ramps Watercolor Sketch

Field Sketching Spring Wild Edibles

Blue Violets and White Pine Watercolor

Fairy Cairn Watercolor

Fire Island Beach Granite Watercolor

Glacial Rock Watercolor

Rock Cobble Watercolor

Stone and Rock

Snow and Ice

Bird Tracks in the Snow Watercolor