Creative Coast: Integrating Science and Art on the Texas Coast

Pop psychology has long told us there is a left brain and right brain. The left is for science, analytical thinking, and calculating; the right is for art, creativity, and expression. The two sides are disparate realms of thinking, too distant to ever overlap. Right?

Not necessarily. Science and art are more complementary than might be obvious. 

Artists and educators of the Texas coast are using their talents to make connections between art and science in a way that engages, educates and enriches audiences on the coast and beyond.

The connections between art and science have long been evident to artist Dinah Bowman. Bowman owns an art gallery in Portland, TX, and has been an artist specializing in marine and coastal science illustration since the 1970s. 

First a marine biologist, Bowman transitioned to art in graduate school, essentially designing a unique degree plan that encompassed both art and biology. At the time, most art programs focused on art education, with virtually no degree plans for scientific illustration. 

“I feel very blessed. It was convoluted, but I arrived at what I always wanted to do,” Bowman says.

After obtaining her degree from University of Corpus Christi (now Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi), Bowman became involved in creating watercolors of fish for the widely used field guide “Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico and Adjacent Waters” from Texas A&M University Press. 

The book is a critically important resource for biologists because it provided photographs comprehensive and detailed paintings, many of which were of rarely seen species. 

Even with modern cameras, scientists still rely on illustrators for visualization, which is especially helpful for use in identifying and studying marine life. While photography can provide useful, high-quality images for researchers, there are limitations. Illustrations can show aspects of marine life that may not be evident in a photo.

During this three-year project, Bowman worked closely with marine biologists to ensure the illustrations were biologically accurate. Most of the 130 renderings were completed from a specimen, but a few deep-water fishes were description only. 

According to Bowman, it is critical to understand the larger family a fish species belongs to. This knowledge helps produce a more accurate illustration given only a description. 

“You have a family of fishes, and you know that members of that family have basic characteristics,” she says. “That’s where I would start: in that family. Then, [I would] narrow it down to the species, and that may be some color pattern differentiation; it may be a change in the number of fin rays or lateral line scales… That’s the intricacies [for which] I relied on the scientists.” 

“Of course, it was daunting, thinking ‘Am I getting it right?’ And, evidently it worked,” she says. “It takes a village: with input from biologists, who have actually seen these species.”

Bowman’s illustrations have been commissioned by the U.S. Navy, Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT), and the Texas General Land Office, to name a few. 

Bowman is also well-known for capturing marine life accurately and artistically through fish printing. 

What is commonly known as “fish printing,” actually comes from a Japanese practice known as Gyotaku, which translates to “fish” and “rubbing.” In this process, the artist will apply ink or paint to the fish and use the fish like a wood block to achieve what is known as a “relief print” of the fish onto a material — usually a type of paper or cloth. 

Since its earliest use in Japan in the mid-19^th century—before photography—Gyotaku has been used by fishermen to record their catch. In some ways, it was a sort-of taxidermy alternative. And, it’s no different nowadays. 

“This is to create a memory for the fishermen,” Bowman tells Texas Monthly in 2022. 

Bowman was inspired to bring Gyotaku to Texas in 1969, after a trip to visit her parents who were stationed in Japan. 

Traditionally, Gyotaku was created with sumi-e, a traditional Japanese black ink, on rice paper. The practice has expanded to include many colors, which is something Bowman considers biology heavily in her process. Color is a significant identifying factor for species, and is biologically significant and dependent on diet, mating season, environment, and more. 

Bowman often showcases several species in her works—Sometimes showing several species of finfish along as shrimp, oysters and seagrass. She places them carefully to depict how these species reside in their natural environment.

Her work has been popular among fishermen, naturalists, and art patrons alike. Bowman’s prints have been part of the Smithsonian Institute’s Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). Her work has been exhibited around the globe, including in Canada, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and New Zealand. She has also printed fish for numerous fishing tournaments, such as the Texas International Fishing Tournament (TIFT) and Deep Sea Round Up.

Bowman has also trained numerous people of all ages to do Gyotaku. It is used by many educators as a unique way to engage and educate students on marine science. 

Over the years, Bowman has continued to evolve her art, often employing more abstract and experimental elements. However, the scientific accuracy remains a high priority.

In 2010, Bowman had the chance to use her talents onboard the JOIDES Resolution, a scientific ocean drilling vessel operated by the International Ocean Drilling Program, where she was the first illustrator to be contracted to work onboard. There, she learned about the functions of the ship and people working on the ship. Her work documented much of the experiences onboard, including watercolor illustrations of the drilling process, the sediment cores obtained, and even rubbings of the seafood and vegetables eaten and parts of the ship. 

“I felt my purpose was looking at all the possibilities that art can be involved with on the ship,” she says.

The ship was used as an educational facility when at port. Where, the ship would host tours. Bowman developed educational materials for guests, such as a passport for visitors complete with vital statistics about the ship and passport stamp pertaining to the different areas of the ship they visited. She said, “The idea is that you are taking an experience away. It’s not something that they will readily throw away.”

“I can’t tell you how excited I was, realizing that dream of work aboard an ocean drilling research vessel, serving in a capacity where I felt like I excelled,” Bowman says.

Art can also promote awareness to pressing issues. Shelia Rogers uses art to draw attention to the issue of plastic pollution by creating sculptures from plastic she has collected from beaches.

An avid beachcomber, Rogers became aware of plastic pollution while looking for seashells along the beaches near Ocean Drive in her hometown, Corpus Christi. “I used to find a lot 

of seashells,” she said, “but now I am finding a lot of plastic. I started picking it up and was curious as to where it was coming from.”

That question became more than just a passing thought. Rogers alerted the City of Corpus Christi. At the time, there was little awareness of the issue. This lack of awareness wasn’t just in Corpus Christi; there was virtual silence on plastic pollution. “I wanted to find out more about it but I couldn’t find much information,” she said. “So, I thought, ‘I’ve got to find a way to get this information out there!’”

And so, she did.

Rogers’ first piece was a 36- by 36-inch acrylic box containing a collage of various red plastic pieces she found. This piece was art for her dining room. She recalls inviting friends to dinner and sparking a conversation about plastic pollution. “They had no clue about the issues.” Rogers crafted piece after piece, eventually creating enough art for her first exhibit at the Texas State Aquarium.

Rogers showed her art to Tom Schmidt, the director of the Texas State Aquarium. “I asked him if he would display my exhibit to educate people about the devastating effects of plastic pollution on the aquatic environment,” she said. “He agreed that we needed to educate the public about this problem and that the aquarium was the perfect place to reach a large number of people.”

With ample beach plastic present, Rogers continued to collect her unconventional art supplies. At her studio, where she cleans and stores her findings, she has amassed a trove of plastic pieces. Fortunately, Rogers is an avid organizer. There is a box for everything: doll shoes, straws, sunglasses, lighters, pens, and even bits of plastics so worn down that what it was is now indiscernible. 

One of the appeals of plastic is its durability. A single plastic water bottle can take over 450 years to degrade. In the marine environment, this “asset” becomes an issue, in which the harm caused by plastic can last for potentially centuries. Rogers has seen firsthand the near permanence of plastic, finding toys and other items she suspects to be from as early as the 1980s.

Thanks to continued efforts to draw attention to plastic pollution from people like Rogers, the news is now out there. As people hear about Rodgers' art, they send her plastic that they had collected. “I have a large green trash can outside my studio where people can deposit plastic items,” she says.

Luckily, volunteers have stepped in to help with cleaning as well. Rogers has hosted volunteers of all ages, such as Girl Scout troops and church groups, to help clean plastic. 

Rogers’ art has been showcased in the Art Museum of South Texas, the Texas State Aquarium, the Texas Surf Museum, the Historic Brownsville Museum, as well as others. Her art has also travelled as far away as Paris and Berlin. Recently, her exhibit was on display in the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station alongside the Texas Sea Grant 50 years of Science and Stewardship exhibit. She also has a display of a water bottle chandelier created from 1,800 bottles in the Mary and Jeff Bell Library at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, which had also been displayed in the Corpus Christi International Airport.

Rogers’ most recent exhibit was at the South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center in late 2022. Rogers created an 18-foot holiday tree out of green water bottles to bring attention to the importance of recycling plastic bottles. She used approximately 3,000 water bottles to complete the display. 

Despite the ugliness of plastic pollution, Rogers strives to create beauty. “I want to draw people in, and then I have an audience to educate,” she says. 

Further north, in Galveston, the non-profit Artist Boat is using art as an educational tool to spark appreciation for the environment and create stewards. The organization hosts a variety of programs that integrate environmental sciences and art, most notably its Eco-Art Programs.  

Staff at artist boat explain that the connection between science and art is a long-standing one. “It goes back to the early scientists and explorers, like Charles Darwin or John James Audubon,” says Karla Klay, Artist Boat executive director. “They saw something new and exciting—they didn’t have a camera to take a picture—The way they recorded what they saw was with pen and paper or paint.” 

In 2022 alone, Artist Boat reached 5,449 youth through its Eco-Art Workshops and Adventures via kayak, each student creating a watercolor of a native species to Galveston Bay. The program has received support from the Moody Permanent Endowment Fund, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Bay and Watershed Education Training (B-WET), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Gulf of Mexico Division. 

Students who take part in the Eco-Art Adventures participate in kayaking, bird watching, walking, restoration events, and other activities designed to give them an up-close look at the coastal and marine environment. These adventures include hands-on science and art experiences, where students learn to create a landscape painting with watercolors. 

Often the subject is a landscape or native species and is a tangible reminder of the students’ experience. “When students keep their watercolor painting, they are able to look back at it and think of some of the things we taught them and the places they got to see,” says Kelsey Malan, an educator with Artist Boat.  

The painting is much more than a souvenir. It’s an integral part of the learning process, according to Klay. Providing time to create art is designed to allow students time to reflect on what they’ve learned. “It’s a way to show students how scientists think and how they observe,” says Malan.

“I think they're coming because it's a dynamic hands-on, minds-on, wet program, and they love the art because it provides quiet time and solitude,” says Klay. “The piece is not the purpose. The process is really the thing that's powerful.”

Additionally, Artist Boat offers a program known as “STEAM-Powered: Blue Carbon ART IQ,” which offers sixth- to eight-grade students STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) Eco-Art Workshops and Adventures. The program introduces complex topics, such as sea-level rise and ocean acidification, by engaging them with their personal conceptual art pieces designed to convey knowledge about climate science. 

In 2022, the program provided 18 hours of enrichment and reached 2,917 students, who showed an increase in knowledge about the Galveston Bay ecosystem following participation in the program. 

Artist Boat hosts several other Eco-Art educational efforts. One such effort includes 70 benches, which are painted by artists and students with a Gulf theme dawning the Galveston Island Seawall visited by 8.5 million annually. Notably the artwork for these benches is reviewed by scientists for accuracy. For example, scientists will provide feedback to ensure that all the species represented are Gulf species. 

“Our mission is to promote awareness and preservation of coastal margins and the marine environment through the disciplines of science and art,” says Klay. “We provide inspiration through unique coastal experiences and creating art is pivotal to providing an easy way to attract people to science.”