FWS Artist: Kristin Simanek
Kristin Simanek is a talented graphic designer, scientific illustrator, and artist who was born in Detroit, Michigan. She has a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington D.C. She began her federal career as a Visual Information Specialist, or graphic designer, for the Drug Enforcement Administration. After ten years there, she was hired by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) as they were preparing to open the National Conservation Training Center in the quiet, rural environment of Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
She has worked with the USFWS for 24 years at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), since it first opened! As a Senior Visual Information Specialist, she has designed graphic materials to support the training courses and other Service offices and events outside of NCTC’s campus. Kristin’s design projects consist of exhibits, logos, publications, posters, banners, awards like the Ira Gabrielson Award on the left, wildlife paintings, scientific illustrations and more.
Her favorite part about working for the Service is being able to combine her love for art and nature. When she’s not painting or drawing, she enjoys hiking, birdwatching, biking, camping and travelling with her husband, Mark Richardson, FWS Retiree and former GIS Course Leader at NCTC. They love visiting various National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, and other public lands. Together, they’re always looking for the less-travelled path, so it’s just the sound of their footsteps, the wind, trees and wildlife that surrounds them. These natural surroundings is what gives Kristin her inspiration as she learns about the plants and animals and takes in the scenic landscapes.
She has learned the art of scientific illustration through biologists she collaborates with. One of Kristin’s favorite projects was working with Brett Billings, Video Producer at NCTC, who would describe various aquatic macroinvertebrate and their habitat, finding reference images, looking at their specimen collection, and interpreting this information through her oil painting. Her exquisite paintings of underwater fauna reveal a fascinating world of crustaceans, insects and beetles that few ever see. Whether it is the intricate head markings on a stonefly nymph or the neon green color of a caddis larvae, Kristin’s artwork is both technically precise, yet thoroughly evocative of these secret underwater scenes. Uncovering the beauty of the hidden natural world is Kristin’s forte’!
Kristin interpreted fish descriptions consisting of anatomical specifications and color patterns from Dr. Alan Temple, Lead Fish & Wildlife Biologist, to create eight accurate fish species drawings. The primary purpose of these drawings was to improve the NCTC Fish Identification course manual; however, those images have been used for other purposes as thank-you cards and endangered species decals for public outreach. Kristin’s knowledge of the types of rays, fins, and color markings was essential to make accurate depictions. She has been fortunate to have worked in this creative field for so many years and with great knowledgeable people, all working for conservation.
In 2019, the History and Partnerships Branch at NCTC collaborated with Kristin Simanek to plan original artwork for the 2020 Conservation History journal with its focus on women in conservation. Our talented graphic designer used an arts and crafts style to create artwork to grace the journal cover and introduce every featured woman. However, prior to creating the artwork, Kristin designed the artwork dimensions to work for banners, seen below. The banners continue to hang from lamp posts around campus. Kristin’s artwork continues to live on, such as through her screen saver versions created for the 2021 women’s history month and continuing efforts to find new ways of telling stories through her graphics.
Most of Kristin’s artwork though, is very personal to her. If not painting from life, she prefers using her own photos as reference from various trips and adventures she’s taken, portraits of family and pets, etc. Her favorite medium is oil painting, she loves color mixing, the smooth texture, and the various techniques that can be used like thin to thick, glazing, and impasto. This medium is also forgiving when mistakes are made, you can paint right over it or simply scrape it off. Although, when she’s traveling Kristin packs light with supplies like pencil, pen & ink, and watercolor on most trips.
Some other accomplishments she is proud of include her art displayed on exhibit in Maryland and Virginia, receiving awards in various Frederick County Arts Association (FCAA) exhibitions and serving on the board of FCAA for six years. She’s also been a judge for the Junior Duck Stamp competition, which is a dynamic art- and science-based curriculum that teaches wetland and waterfowl conservation to students in kindergarten through high school.
Kristin Simanek will soon be retiring with almost 35 years as a federal employee, congratulations on your retirement! She has made her mark at the National Conservation Training Center and within the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as a fine artist. For more information on Kristin’s artwork, visit the FWS Media Library. Brought to you by the USFWS Conservation Library, at images.fws.gov. #WeAreUSFWS #FWSArtist
