A welcome to the family present for my future brother-in-law.  "Sappho" Jessica Boehman 2018. Pencil and white colored pencil on brown paper.

"The November Before You Came" Copyright 2018 Jessica Boehman. Colored pencil, pencil, water soluble graphite, and gouache. 
NOT FOR SALE AS ORIGINAL OR PRINT--Private collection.

"Harper's Ferry" watercolor and pencil plein air study. Do not reproduce without permission.

I was commissioned by my first cousin once removed to draw a Madonna and child with the symbols of the Catholic deaconate.  This was a fun commission due to my training as an art historian. I wanted to make sure that all of the symbols in the image were appropriate to Mary. I imagined a sort of modern hortus enclusus, or enclosed garden, which was a symbol of Mary's perpetual virginity in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. For that reason, there is no sky, just garden. I added various flowers that were symbols of Mary: rose, lily, columbine, and periwinkle, seen in the garden and on her veil.  The gospel and chalice are symbols of the deaconate, and I added an image of Jesus' passion: the Crucifixion and Lamentation, on the pages.  The chalice and Eucharistic host was decorated with silver, as was her habit and flowers of the garden, while I gilded the haloes to catch the light. I will show it to you before and after gilding (the gilded images are photos as it's hard to scan).

A quick digital collage of a new sketch and an old drawing of the forest. "The Bear King" colored pencil, watercolor, pencil, and digital collage.

"Rattus norvegicus (Brown Sewer Rat)", seen in E. 31st Street, Manhattan.  Watercolor. 

Eryngium Thistle, watercolor.

 Male hatchling house sparrow, watercolor and gouache. Seen in Rego Park, NY

Eastern Cicada Killer, watercolor. Seen in Rego Park, NY

 American Woodcock, watercolor. Seen in Long Island City, NY

 Cicada Shell, watercolor. Found in Maryland.

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly, watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil. Seen in the Great Smokies, TN.

Eastern Comma Butterfly, watercolor. Seen in the Great Smokies, TN.

This summer, I've been practicing watercolor by doing nature studies of dead creatures I've encountered.  After all, the Italian term for "still life" is natura morta​: dead nature.

Yellowjacket. Watercolor and pencil.

Cicada shell, lateral view. Watercolor and pencil.

Green June bug, watercolor and colored pencil.

Female eastern carpenter bee, anterior, watercolor.

Female eastern carpenter bee, posterior, watercolor.

Female yellow breasted chat, watercolor and gouache.

Female northern flicker? Watercolor. 

The book will be launching this February in NYC!

My Dancing Bear was used with permission by the Academy for Teachers' "Show Teachers the Love" 2018 gala. How cool!