I'm a professional artist and writer and baby naturalist. I live and work in Moh'kins'tsis (Calgary) on Treaty 7 land.

I have BFA honours from Alberta University of the Arts '16. I have attended residencies with New York University, Concordia, Trico Changemakers Program (programmed through Mount Royal University), the Calgary Allied Arts Foundation, and John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, and Momus magazine, to name a few. I have exhibited and published art and writing in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, St. John's, and New York. I often collaborate with grassroots queer and disability community groups through out the area.

Since around 2021 I have started researching botanical rendering in oil paint and drawing. I am also currently writing a book that uses floriography and biodiversity as a plot device, and explores how biodiversity can tells the stories of neurodiversity. I became interested in local flora after doing some research into oil painting techniques, starting with 17th century Dutch Golden Age flower paintings, then 17th and 18th century botanical illustrators like Ferdinand Bauer, which led to interest in the 50-70 CE De Materia Medica and so on and so on… while also participating in Treaty 7 Indigenous knowledge courses through my work at the local library.

I’m inspired by citizen science projects like iNat and look forward to learning more about I can contribute (including best practices for observations!)

I am sincerely loyal to the idea of the Guest ("What is a Guest? What is a Settler?" https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/cpi/index.php/cpi/article/download/29452/21463/77797) and am using my practices in botanical art, writing, and cataloging as a way to say thank you to Turtle Island.

artist website: www.louiefermor.com