I've been working one day a week at UC Berkeley's Herbarium, sorting specimens for an online species database that is currently being created. The process involves sifting through thousands of pressed specimens, double-checking their species id's, updating current taxonomy and consolidating species pages across time, location and collector.

Many of the pressings were painstakingly put together by researchers and algae enthusiasts over the years, with gorgeous compositions and perfect calligraphic labels, some of which date back to the mid 1800s.

Included in the stacks is a collection of west coast seaweeds that I helped put together 10 years ago while working as a field biologist for PISCO (http://www.piscoweb.org/). Nice to think that my name is mixed in amongst the greats (Abbott, Dawson, Silva...).

I am working to re-focus my brain towards its roots in marine botany, this time from a creative angle as opposed to scientific/analytical. All of this in an attempt to draw together ideas for future art projects. Stay tuned...