Mara Orenstein is a scientific illustrator and artist grounded in the Pacific Northwest. She's been drawing since childhood and always had a fascination with nature and music. Orenstein achieved a bachelor's of arts degree from Seattle University in Environmental Studies, with a specialization in Ecological Systems in 2018. While studying abroad in southern Chile during the austral summer of 2017, she studied and connected with the regional flora and fauna through drawing. The seeds of a new path were sown. After taking a year to compile a portfolio, Orenstein joined the University of Washington's Natural Science Illustration program in the fall of 2019. The program culminated in an online showcase you can view at uwnatsciarts.com. What you are now about to see is this artist's range of light, form, and most recently, color.