Larissa Babicz Art

About

 

Hello and welcome to my website! My name is Larissa Babicz and I'm an ornithologist and artist. It's so hard to say what came first - my love for nature or my passion for drawing! I work seasonal jobs as a biologist, which typically last anywhere from two to six months. In between seasons (and sometimes, if I'm lucky, after work days), I draw! My work is almost entirely inspired by my day job and now revolves pretty exclusively around birds - although there are always exceptions to the rule!

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You can probably already guess that I really love birds. My job? Birds. My hobby? Birds. My artwork? More birds. This focus really started in 2022, when I became bird banding apprentice at Point Blue's Palomarin Field Station. For the first time, I found myself surrounded by people who were like me. I learned that no, I'm not crazy for feeling as strongly as I do about conservation. And more importantly, after that season ended, I discovered that being a biologist does not mean that I can't also be an artist! I've worked in so many beautiful places - from my home state of Pennsylvania to the mountains of West Virginia, then the Point Reyes National Seashore in California and back to the lush eastern forests of southwestern North Carolina. From there, I travelled to Fairbanks, Alaska, and back down to California as a research assistant on the Farallon Islands. Wow, what an adventure! If that's not enough to inspire some art, I don't know what is.

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As for my art? I work primarily in soft pastels and graphite. The pastels are so beautiful and create such gorgeous soft textures. Graphite is an old friend of mine, and I haven't been able to let it go as a medium. Back when I really started drawing seriously (sometime in late high school), I couldn't afford art supplies yet, so I made do with pencils and some cheap paper. But despite its simplicity, it really is still one of my favorites. I recently started experimenting with gouache, which I can take to my field jobs without the bulk that comes with lugging a bunch of fragile pastels around. I find that these are great for more illustrative works and sticker designs.

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I used to do a lot of pet portrait commissions in my earlier art days, and though I'm accepting fewer requests now due to my busy field schedule, I'm always happy to discuss the possibility with clients.

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