Chelsea Clarke
Artist-in-Residence on the Healy

How did an artist get to be on board the Healy for a science expedition?

“Bob Pickart is one of the scientists on the Healy and he is very dedicated to outreach and was generous enough to bring me along on the cruise. The idea is to use art to show people how interesting and exciting science and the arctic are. Sometimes looking at art can communicate things that words or scientific diagrams can’t, so it’s nice to have multiple ways to try to show people what the scientists are studying. I have always been very interested in science and nature, so this is the perfect job for me! ”

How do you know what to draw?

“I decide what to draw each day based on things I saw from the ship, like ice or animals, or things I learned from the scientists about plankton or the ocean. So it all depends on what kinds of things have been happening on the trip.”

What or who inspired you to become an artist?

“There was no one particular event or person that first made me want to become an artist, I just really enjoyed drawing and the more I learned and the better I got at it the more it made me want to do it. But my high school art teacher Mrs. Downs does deserve a lot of credit for encouraging me to go to an art school for college and pursue art as a career rather than just a hobby. “