VISUAL

AUGUST 2016: JOHN GRANT

Getting down on hands and knees to look for the little creatures of the forest (and the backyard) has been one of my favorite things since I was a little creature myself.

These days I am a tropical ecologist, teaching undergraduate students at the School for International Training's study abroad programs in north Queensland, Australia, and Indonesia, and a macro lens has allowed me to capture some of the little creatures more permanently.

I think it’s important to document the biological components of our world, now more than ever. Even in relatively well-documented Australia and Bali, there are always surprises waiting.

John Grant

John Grant was born in Dublin, Ireland, with an innate passion for the creatures sharing our planet. Encouraged by a father knowledgeable in Irish wildlife and nurtured by a mother tolerant enough to accept his mud-covered returns from hedgerows and estuaries, he grew into a dedicated birdwatcher and eventually a professional zoologist. John has exhibited with the Irish Federation of Wildlife Artists and contributed illustrations for the first issues of the annual Irish East Coast Bird Report. Following his move to Australia in 1983, art took a back seat to his postgraduate studies and later his teaching and research work in north Queensland. Now, he explores the natural world through both photography and painting. More artwork can be viewed at http://www.johngrantartist.com/.