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The idea for this series began in 2019 with an unexpected discovery. After purchasing a digital microscope, I started examining insects up close and was amazed by how alien—and how detailed—their faces are. Insects are often illustrated from above in perfectly symmetrical views, echoing the way specimens are displayed in museum collections. I wanted to look at them differently: as individual living animals with remarkable adaptations.

Common Eastern Bumble Bee painting, acrylic on canvas, 2019

This year's Pollinator Day at Durham's Museum of Life and Science provided the perfect opportunity to expand the project. The teams at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' Naturalist Center and the Museum of Life and Science's Butterfly House generously allowed me to photograph specimens from their collections using my microscope. Those images revealed details that are almost impossible to appreciate with the naked eye and became invaluable references for the paintings.

Leaf Cutter Bee digital microscope photo

As I researched the subjects, I discovered that the story extends far beyond butterflies, hummingbirds and bees. While nectar and fruit feeders are familiar flower visitors, many other animals also transport pollen as they move through their habitats. Even the brilliant Shining Leaf Chafer beetle, better known as a leaf eater, can carry pollen from one plant to another simply through its daily activities.

Shining Leaf Chafer, watercolor on paper

Reptiles such as the colorful Gold Dust Day Gecko visit flowers, while mammals including fruit bats, honey possums and the striking Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur all play important roles in pollination. In Madagascar, the ruffed lemur is one of the primary pollinators of the iconic Traveler's Palm, carrying pollen on its face as it reaches deep into the flowers for nectar. As a prosimian, it is also our closest living relative known to serve this ecological role—a wonderful reminder that pollination is shared by a much broader range of animals than most of us realize.

Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur, watercolor on paper

One of the greatest joys of creating this series has been discovering just how one challenge evoked a range of evolutionary solutions. Every face tells a story. Whether it's the pollen-collecting hairs of a bumble bee, the elongated bill of a hummingbird, or the furry muzzle of a lemur dusted with pollen, each animal is uniquely equipped for its role. That's the idea behind Faces of Pollination—celebrating not just the process of pollination, but the extraordinary creatures whose faces, bodies and behaviors make it possible.

Pollinator Paintings detail montage