Art-in-Nature at Rice Rivers Center

Join VCU's Ecological Society of America SEEDS chapter on Saturday, March 21st at Rice Rivers Center for an Art-in-Nature workshop and SEEDS fundraiser. No experience required. Lunch and basic materials provided. Rain or shine!

Featuring field sketching, ecopoetry, and nature journaling workshops by artists Debby Kaspari, Catherine Hulshof, and Mary K. Larson.

Debby Kaspari has been sketching the natural world for more than forty years. After graduating from California College of the Arts, Debby worked as an illustrator, product designer, and art director. Over time, her path led back to her passion for observing and drawing nature from life. Today, Debby is known for her field sketches that capture the beauty and fleeting moments found in nature. She teaches the skills of direct observation along with practical sketching and painting techniques, and has led workshops in Oklahoma, California, Costa Rica and Peru. To see more of her work, you can find her on Instagram (@debbykaspari) and at drawingthemotmot.com.

Catherine Hulshof is an ecologist, poet, and associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, and the faculty advisor of VCU's SEEDS chapter. She studies the impact of climate change on tropical and temperate mountain forests. Her poetry explores themes at the intersection of culture and climate change. She teaches ekphrastic, erasure, and haiku forms and ways to engage in poetry everyday. Her work is published in Dear Human At The Edge Of Time: Poems on Climate Change in the United States (Paloma Press), Sin Cesar Literary Journal, Sky Island Journal, and featured on National Public Radio. 

Mary K. Larson has been a certified Virginia Master Naturalist with the Riverine chapter since 2023, a certified Flora of Virginia Ambassador since 2024, and a certified Nature Journaling Educator through the Wild Wonder Foundation since early 2025. Mary has been nature journaling since 2018, and since 2024 has taught many nature journaling classes around the greater Richmond area, including at Maymont Park, Powhatan State Park, with Hanover Parks & Recreation, for Virginia Master Naturalists, and at the Virginia Riparian Buffer Summit. Mary has degrees in Biology and Medical Technology and works for VCU Health System.

All proceeds from this event will support VCU's SEEDS chapter.