Barbara Ierulli is an artist and illustrator whose work focuses on the natural sciences and spans a wide variety of mediums. Her lifelong love of birds and plants, as well as an insatiable curiosity about the natural world and strong affinity for early botanical illustrations, has directed her choices of subject matter. Although watercolor and colored pencil are her favored mediums, she is open to all possible treatments while determining the execution of a new work.

An experienced pastry chef and ceramicist, Ms. Ierulli untied her apron strings and recently earned her certificate in natural science illustration, adding an additional skill to her creative endeavors. An enthusiastic student of the natural world, Barbara loves combining her artistic proclivities with her love of research. Her work endeavors to translate the fruits of her studies to her audience.

Working on pieces for local seed producers piqued Barbara Ierulli’s interest in plant cycles of Northwest indigenous flora growing near her cabin in the Cascades and the plants and trees she propagates in her maritime surroundings in Port Townsend, Washington. Earlier artworks centered on the bromeliads, lithops and mesembryanthemums that Barbara raised in her home, and on extended travels in Asia and the Himalayas. Now she prefers to stay closer to her base and work on subjects she sees changing seasonally and climatically around her. Her acrylic painting of “Chamerion angustifolium” fireweed growing after the 2012 Table Mountain Burn in the Cascades Mountains recently received a jury award from the “Focus on Nature XIV Exhibition” at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York.

In addition to Barbara’s artwork she is Vice President/Treasurer of The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Northwest Chapter, a member of the National GNSI Organization, Cornell Bird Lab and the Audubon Society. In her free time she has curated natural science exhibitions for her guild and does STEM outreach to initiate budding artistic scientists to the career possibilities of natural science illustration