MINDY LIGHTHIPEStemming from her childhood fascination with observing insects, Mindy Lighthipe has forged a career that’s equal parts art and life science. Lighthipe, a botanical illustrator by training, has exhibited her art in juried and solo exhibitions since 1998. Her work depicts the natural history of—and symbiosis between—plants and animals.
“This aspect of the art form does not always reach the masses,” said Lighthipe, 54, an adjunct professor of fine arts at University of Florida (UF). Preserving the practice of botanical illustration is but one goal of her life’s work. Conservation is another aim. “The more general public I can get to be as excited as I am about nature, the better chances we have at protecting fragile ecosystems,” she added.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in studio arts and a master’s in art education, both from Kean University in Union, New Jersey, Lighthipe completed training at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, where she later taught more than 20 courses. Since 2012, she has led a botanical drawing workshop to train K-12 ...
