I’m a professional studio artist whose practice, design work, and instruction share the quiet stories of plants and fungi with curious observers who find wonder in close examination.
Almost Spring Hydrangea quercifolia
Rabbit's Foot Fern Davallia fejeensis
Chestnut Bolete Gyroporus castaneus
Chicken of the Woods Laetiporus sulphureus
Purple Brittlegill Russula atropurpurea
Lion's Mane Hericium erinaceus
My work travels to galleries, garden institutions, and botanical venues where plant life, fungi, and place take center stage. Here you’ll find current and upcoming exhibitions and events where you can see these pieces beyond the studio.
PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW
PHILADELPHIA SOCIETY OF BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATORS
FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 8, 2026
I work primarily in graphite and watercolor on vellum, as well as egg tempera on panel, using slow, layered mark-making and brushwork to echo the quiet, deliberate way plants grow and reveal themselves over time.
CLASSES
& WORKSHOPS
I teach small-group classes and workshops in botanical drawing and painting that focus on close observation, clear technique, and steady skill-building. Using mediums like graphite, watercolor, and egg tempera, I offer online and in-person sessions with demonstrations and hands-on practice so students can grow their skills, understand their materials, and build a comfortable, sustainable studio practice of their own.
The Artful Wild is a Patreon subscription created by professional studio artists Margaret Saylor and Kelly Leahy Radding to share our love of plants, birds, fungi, and place through ongoing art content. Margaret focuses on plants and fungi, while Kelly brings in birds and animals, and together we explore classic drawing techniques, studio practices, and more through behind-the-scenes process, demonstrations, and resources for steady, observation-based art.
IN THE WORKS
CONTXT: Botanical Subjects in Modern Spaces is an ongoing series of egg tempera paintings that pairs refined botanical forms with a quiet, underlying structure. In each piece, elegant plant matter is set against a field of intersecting lines and shapes, hinting at grids, architecture, or designed spaces without fully naming them. The work lives in the tension between organic growth and constructed order, inviting viewers to notice how plants inhabit and soften the frameworks we build around them.
February 2027 • Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA