Paul Mirocha

I've worked in Tucson for more than 40 years as an artist, designer, and illustrator. I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA in Fine Art, and a minor in Biology. This culminated in a solo honors thesis drawing show, "Studies of Natural Form." On moving to Tucson in 1979, I worked as a designer and science illustrator for Arid Lands Studies at the University of Arizona. Here I met many desert scientists and I developed an enduring fascination with the Sonoran Desert. In 1985, I illustrated "Gathering the Desert" by Gary Paul Nabhan, which won that year's John Burruoghs Medal for natural history writing, and started a career in book illustration.

Later, as a freelance artist and illustrator, my work was featured in national parks, botanical gardens, children's picture books, exhibits, and school texts, among other clients.

Since high school, sketchbooks have been an essential research and artistic tool. I have learned so much about the world and my home from drawing. This inspires my mission to share the experience with others interested in deeper engagement with nature by learning to think on paper.