From March 21, 2026 until June 14, 2026, UUFN's Parker Gallery is hosting "Bugs and Botanicals," an exhibition showcasing artwork by Pat Field.

BUGS

I began serious photography in 2000 with the purchase of a digital camera. After years of traditional darkroom work, I found it wonderful to process photos in full daylight without any chemicals, running water and drying time. Digital cameras eliminated the need for costly films restricted to 36 exposures per roll, allowing me to take countless photos using inexpensive digital storage like large, reusable SD cards. This freedom meant I could shoot as many times as needed to capture the perfect image without concern about wasting expensive film.  I soon found small cameras with lens ranges from closeup to telephoto to always carry with me, years before I got a cellphone camera worth using.

My favorite subjects are often very small: the tiny jumping spiders that hang out on my car; little green flies with iridescent wings in my garden; miniscule forget-me-nots and speedwell hiding in the grass. Larger subjects include praying mantis, fall leaves, monarch caterpillars, butterflies, and birds. Birds are often frustratingly distant, so I have some longer lenses to work with. Most of the time, though, I use those lenses to get closer to bugs without disturbing them, like this grasshopper. Getting close allows me to see and enlarge the amazing details in the patterns of shape and color on insect bodies.

BOTANICALS

In the early 1990s I had been a professional calligrapher for almost 20 years, and I often decorated my work with little stylized flowers and vines. A friend from the Delaware Calligraphy Guild suggested we go to Longwood Gardens and take a class in Botanical Illustration. I did not feel comfortable with drawing, but I went with her anyway. Long story short, I kept on taking classes and eventually joined the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators as well. I kept that up for another 20 years, but I still never felt comfortable with drawing, especially when starting a new one.

The main draw for me was the annual exhibits the PSBI group participated in, with the big one being the Philadelphia Flower Show. For many years, I also took pictures of all the entries for these exhibits for the guild. The most recent PFS I participated in was 2014, with Tiger Lily.

I gave up botanical illustration for weaving around that time. But recently, I’ve been wanting to spend some time with watercolors and flowers, and I painted this rose (above) in February 2026. I think I have gotten more comfortable with drawing and painting. It doesn’t have to be “perfect”, which opens another world:  I can just enjoy the process and see what happens.