Science, fantasy, and worlds Between

Extravagant detail. Exquisite design. And always something a little unexpected.

Since 1992, I’ve worked professionally as both an illustrator and fine artist—three decades of painting for publication and beyond. Over the years, I’ve moved fluidly between worlds: from children’s science illustration to speculative fiction, from feminist figurative work to botanical portraiture, from gallery exhibitions to commissioned works for private collectors.

Throughout that time, I’ve also explored personal themes—ritual, identity, transformation—especially in my "Boundary Subjects" series. And world-building in my more recent Pelagic Worlds project. Bringing these threads together hasn’t always been simple, but a throughline is beginning to emerge: a fascination with the intersections between natural science, mythology, and imagined ecology.

Each collection here reflects part of that journey—linking science to wonder, design to storytelling, and imagination to meaning.

*The Brood*. Oil on cradled hardboard. 36” x 36”. 2025. A piece in a new series, *Pelagic Worlds*.

Storytelling is underneath it all

Whether I’m painting a pelagic dream-creature or a cluster of jewel-toned beetles, each piece begins with a question: What story wants to be told here? These collections span years and themes, but they’re all threads in a larger tapestry—glimpses into worlds both real and imagined. I invite you to explore them, follow your curiosity, and see what resonates.

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Transformation- A Sigil Painting of Metamorphosis and Vision

Transformation- A Sigil Painting of Metamorphosis and Vision

$500.00

Part of my Sigil Paintings series, Transformation captures the unfolding of change and insight. An Eye of Providence hovers amidst butterfly wings against a night sky, flanked by two attentive caterpillars.

Framed in a silvered wood frame, this work is a bit larger than 8” × 10”. Shipped double-boxed via USPS 2-Day Priority mail and insured fully.

This piece honors the quiet alchemy of becoming, where small beginnings grow into luminous presence.

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From The Forest

A collection of more recent works that focus on botanical subjects with a degree of high realism. Paintings and drawings.

Kest Collections for sale:

Children’s Science Book illustrations and More

Ready to dive deep down into the rabbit hole? Here are a few collections of my published illustrations ready for your purchase. All details are in each collection, but if you’d like to know more about a specific piece, or would like to see a larger image, please reach out.

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I Can Read About Insects

Original illustrations for sale from the book, I Can Read About Insects by author, Deborah Merrians. Published by Troll Communications. L.L.C. in 1999.

How Do You Sleep?

How Do You Sleep? was written by Louise Bonnet-Rampersaud and published by Marshall Cavendish Children in 2005. Very eepy animals.

Amphibians

Explore original oil illustrations of amphibians. Written by Laura Purdie Salas, Amphibians, Water-To-Land Animals was published by Picture Window Books, Inc. in 2009.

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Eagles Hawks and Owls

Original illustrations for sale from a published children's science book, Eagles, Hawks, and Owls. Written by Alvin, Virginia, and Robert Silverstein. Published by Western Pub. Co. 1994.

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The Bug Book Collection

Original art available for purchase. The Bug Book, published in 1997 by Western Publishing Co. Written by Kathy Kranking

Animal Skeletons

Original illustrations for sale from the book, Animal Skeletons, written by Judith Janda Presnall and published by Troll Books, 1995.

OFA Botanicals Collection

A selection of paintings from The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Calendar art from 2004 to 2016.

Creepy Creatures

Original illustrations for sale from the children’s science book, Creepy Creatures: Do They Scare You? Written Sneed B. Collard, it was published by Charlesbridge Pub. Co. in 1992.

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Butterflies and Moths

Original illustrations for sale from Butterflies and Moths. Written by George S. Fichter and published by Western Pub. Co. in 1993.

Peregrine Falcon

Original art for sale from The Peregrine’s Journey: A Story of Migration. Written by Madeleine Dunphy and published in 2000 by Millbrook Press (reprinted in 2007).

Bees Wasps and Ants

Explore original illustrations from Golden Junior Guide: Bees, Wasps, and Ants. Written by George S. Fichter and published by Western Pub., Co. in 1993.

Bats

Explore original full color illustrations from a book all about bats. Finished in 1996 for the Golden Junior Guides series, this book of Bat paintings was never published. Now available for the first time.