If you follow biodiversity discourse in India, chances are you’ve already heard of Green Humour (@greenhumour)—the comic handle run by artist Rohan Chakravarty that uses comedy and simple storytelling to educate scores of Indians about policy, ecosystems, and contemporary environmental issues. If asked to name artists beyond GreenHumour though, most conversations end in silence. It’s likely because we tend to not look up nature-oriented accounts except for screensaver material—they’re often deemed monotonous or repetitive. Well, we’re here to tell you that that’s far from the truth.
Below, we’ve gathered eight artists who are making waves online for their stellar artwork. Some of them directly talk about biodiversity, or make traditional paintings that make you stop in your tracks. Others breathe new life into perceivably dry topics using humour, silliness and a sense of wonder. We’ve seen that it’s often these indirect approaches that help people get interested in, absorb, and share the importance of protecting nature. If there’s anyone particularly captivating we missed, do let us know in the comments below:
Joshua Barkman (@falseknees), Canada
Best known for existential watercolour comics featuring birds. Barkman’s the darkly funny side of Canada that you don’t get to hear about.
View this post on InstagramLet’s be real, even seeds are pretty cute. #oldknees #cute #throwbackthfriday
View this post on InstagramAren’t we all ð #ant #lilac #antimony #literally #relatively #bigdeal
Alisha Dutt Islam (@alishaduttislam), India
Botanical illustrator extraordinaire, with delicate and detailed drawings of plants, blooms and insects. We want framed prints, asap.
Brian Fritz (@brianleefritz), USA
Artist specialising in acrylic, watercolour, ink portraits of birds. Chickens have never looked so interesting!
Angie Connell (@oddballtails), Australia
Our first foray into the world of embroidered pet portraits. We doubt any other gift could ever top these. P.S: While this list’s supposed to stick to Instagram, you have to visit her astoundingly endearing website.
Kenneth Chin (@canlaken), Singapore
Classic watercolours and digital art featuring lesser-known marine and terrestrial species.
Emillie Ferris (@emillieferris), UK
Quirky embroidery art with a penchant for butterflies, moths and woodland creatures. Oh, and there’s dogs everywhere.
Nina Haiko (@nina.haiko), Finland
An illustrator, artist and pattern designer exploring the human connection with nature. We don’t know about you, but if we’re ever writing a children’s book, Nina will be our go-to person for a touch of whimsy.
Zoltán Boros (@zoltan.borosart), Hungary
Dynamic artwork of animals in their natural habitat. Boros’ mastery of light and shadow in his monochrome paintings, is jaw-droppingly good.
For an account that is seriously oriented towards nature conservation and research, try Current Conservation. With their frequent artist features, it’s also an excellent pool of talent to keep revisiting.