Bonjour (Hello)! My name is Mattias (pronounced “mah-tee-us”) and I am an illustrator and naturalist hailing from Santiago, Chile. I’m 31 years old and working in Paris, France this year through a Fulbright Scholarship.
Since a young age I’ve been passionate about the natural world, so, for college I studied earth systems at Stanford University. I also honed my art skills by completing the science illustration program at Cal State University, Monterey Bay. Today, I am what is known as a “science illustrator,” which is someone who communicates science to people through drawings and paintings. In France, I am working with illustrators to learn about old watercolor painting techniques from the 18th century (paintings from over 200 years ago) and with scientists who are describing new species of plants! I’ll be based at the Paris Natural History Museum, where they have lots of important collections of both paintings and preserved plant specimens.
I can’t wait to meet you and to hear more about your backgrounds and interests! It will be so much fun to have you join me in France and I look forward to sharing articles, photos and snippets of the French language. In the meantime, to better understand what kind of science illustration work I do, check out my website at mattiaslanas.com.
