About J. Spahr

Look below to see J.’s published illustrations & lectures

J. is a professional scientific illustrator and lecturer who graduated cum laude from Maastricht University and Zuyd Hogeschool’s dual two year Masters degree in scientific illustration. She has been working as a scientific illustrator since 2016.

Previous to her master’s J. graduated from Clark University with a degree in art history and global environmental studies.

J.’s illustrations focus on biodiversity, animal life cycles, and anatomy. Her illustrations have been printed in journals from The Journal of Comparative Biology, to Frontiers in Zoology, the University of Maine Press, and the documentary Fort Comme Un Ours (Strong as a Bear).

Selected Published Illustrations and Exhibits

Herrington Manor State Park Outdoor Educational Infographics (Maryland State Parks System, 2024)

Northern Bobwhite: A Year in the Uplands Infographic (Quail Forever: The Habitat Organization, 2024)

The Importance of Florida’s Native Aquatic Plants (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Invasive Plant Management, 2024)

Endangered Reptile Reconstructions (Reptiles of the Guianas Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, Chimaira Buchhandelsgesellschaft Publishing, 2024)

Frosted Flatwoods Salamander Informational Pamphlet: Brevard Zoo, Melbourne FL, 2023)

A Primer on Stream Temperature Processes (WireS [Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews] Water Research, 2023)

Toxic elements in arctic and sub-arctic brown bears: Blood concentrations of As, Cd, Hg and Pb in relation to diet, age, and human footprint (Environmental Research: Elsevier, 2023)

A Standardized Method for Experimental Human Approach Trials on Wild Wolves (Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 2022)

Vertical saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers driven by episodic flooding: A review, (Dalhousie University, CA, 2022)

Animal Welfare Outcomes of Professional Vehicle-based Shooting of Peri-urban Rusa Deer in Australia, (Journal of Wildlife Research, 2022)

Groundwater, Soil, and Vegetation Interactions at Discrete Riparian Inflow Points (DRIPs) and Implications for Boreal Streams (Frontiers in Water, 2021)

The Life Cycle of the Frosted Flatwoods Salamander (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Amphibian Foundation, Center for Biological Diversity, 2021)

10+ Outdoor Raptor Exhibit Infographics (Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, 2021)

High Concentrations of Lead (Pb) in blood and milk of free-ranging brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Scandinavia (Journal of Environmental Pollution: Elsevier, 2021)

Effects of Bilberry and Oat Intake on Plasma Lipid Profile, Inflammation, and Exercise Capacity After Acute Myocardial Infarction (2020)

Physiological and Behavioral Responses of Moose to Hunting with Dogs (Oxford Journal of Conservation Physiology, 2020)

Life Cycle of the Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly (Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 2020)

Lake Turnover and Ecosystem: (Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, 2019)

The Life Cycle of the Spotted Salamander (New Hampshire Public Radio’s program: Something Wild, 2019)

Effects of Reproduction and Environmental Factors on Body Temperature and Activity Patterns of Free-ranging Wolverines (2019)

Behavioral and Physiological Responses of Scandinavian Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) to Dog Hunts and Human Encounters (Frontiers in Behavioral and Evolutionary Ecology, 2019)

Havørn (Sea Eagle) Public Outreach/Popular Science Book in Norway (2019)

Biomedical Protocols for Free-ranging Brown Bears, Wolves, Wolverines and Lynx (2019)

Hunting of Large Game with Lead-based Ammunition: A Case Study on How a Modern Society is Deliberately Poisoning Scavenging Wildlife (2018)

Challenges and Opportunities with Supplementary Feeding in Reindeer Husbandry (Grant Proposal, 2019)

Fort Comme Un Ours —"The Superpower of Bears” (Internationally Translated Documentary Film with Le cinquième rêve, 2018)

Bear in Mind: Illustrating Field Research on the Scandinavian Brown Bear and its Application to Human Disease Prevention (2018)

Social Aggression Experience, and Brain Gene Expression in a Subsocial Bee (Journal of Integrated and Comparative Anatomy, 2017)

Association Européenne des Illustrateurs Médicaux et Scientifiques (AEIMS) 26th Annual International Scientific Illustrators Exhibition (2017)

LECTURES

Visualizing Science: The What, Why, and How of Scientific Illustration ( Given June 2023 Roanoke/Cashie River Center)

—Due to Coronavirus there were no traveling lectures in 2020/21

Visualizing Science: The Importance of Scientific Illustration in Reaching Broad Audiences about Climate Science (Given March, 2019 at the Scripps Oceanographic Institution)

Can an Artist Make a Difference (And Other Questions We Ask Ourselves) (Given October, 2019, at Clark University)

Visualizing Science: The Importance of Scientific Illustration in Current Research (Given November, 2018 at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)

Visualizing Science: The Importance of Scientific Illustration in Current Research (Given November, 2018 at the Norwegian Institute of Nature Research)

From Brown Bears and Beyond: The Importance of Scientific Illustration in Current Research (Given November, 2018 at the Annual Scandinavian Brown Bear Research Project Symposium)

Bear in Mind: Illustrating Field Research on the Scandinavian Brown Bear and its Application to Human Disease Prevention (Given June, 2018 at ZUYD University of Applied Sciences)

From Brown Bears and Beyond: The Importance of Scientific Illustration in Current Research (Given May, 2018 at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences)