Julia Ditto

I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. From a young age, my parents took me into the backcountry, which grew my passion for exploring the natural world. I used art to express the beautiful places I experienced and the things I saw. I learned how visuals could be essential in my own work, and drawings and diagrams freckled my school assignments.

I earned a BS in Environmental Science and a minor in Outdoor Studies at Alaska Pacific University. It was there I learned science and art could be combined into one career, and I used illustration to communicate field research. I studied glaciers, flora and climate change in remote areas of Alaska. I joined a series of expeditions across the Brooks Range, where I carried a watercolor kit over 1,500 miles to illustrate the climate-driven changes occurring in the Arctic. These experiences allowed me to meld my passions in art, wilderness travel and scientific inquiry. Field sketching became an integral part of my scientific process, providing an opportunity to observe and connect with the natural world.

I believe art and science are more compelling together rather than separate; art can be precise, just as science can be beautiful. Art adds what science often lacks, and together they form a whole picture. View Julia’s work here.