Hi! I’m glad you’re here!
I'm an Artist, Journalist, Naturalist and Citizen Scientist and I love to combine my art with my words to tell stories. My favorite subject matter is natural history, my favorite media are pen and watercolor, and I usually work in a serial format, meaning each individual piece is part of a series.
More About Me
I live in Tucson, Arizona, USA, in the beautiful Sonoran Desert, and every time I go outside (or even look out the windows) I see something in nature that captures my attention. Creating art is a great excuse for me to learn more about my subjects and observe them more closely!
Other things besides nature capture my attention, too—I also “art” about travel, food, and everyday life!
I have a degree in Systematics & Ecology and have been interested in natural history since I was a kid. I’ve also always been interested in visual communications and love to document (and blog about) my art processes. A number of my readers have told me they enjoy my posts about my art processes, so I have an Art Process page that’s one of the links on the top navigation menu of my blog. That page automagically ✨ updates with each new post in which I’ve shared my art processes.
My art, photographs and writing have been published by clients including Alaska Airlines, Caribbean Travel & Life, Earth, Fodor's, Honda, Modern Maturity, National Geographic, The New York Times and Overseas Adventure Travel.
Why subscribe to my free email newsletter?
I publish a new blog post/email newsletter every Thursday, and when you subscribe to my free email newsletter my art lands right in your Inbox—easy peasy! You don’t need to follow me on social media, poke around my website looking for my latest art, or even visit my blog here on Substack.
Accolades
Here’s what my subscribers have to say:
“It has been such a joy to read your posts. You have a wonderful way of weaving together your art, observation, humor, and natural history. It's just a treasure.“
“Always a pleasure to see Visual Storyteller in my inbox. Thank you!”
“Art, backyard science, and natural history all in one newsletter! I am enjoying Paula Borchardt’s visual stories from the Sonoran desert.”
“It was no-brainer to hit that subscribe button.”
“I absolutely LOVE and look forward to your weekly postings!! I’ve learned SO much!! What a treasure!!🥰!!”
“I enjoy your sense of humor!”
“I love your art style and your color palette!”
“It’s wonderful seeing your yard through the images you so steadily make with your keen eye that picks up their essence and their story.”
"The art you derive from the southwestern life all around you threaded through with story is wonderful and altogether unique."
“the...images and stories bring me close again to the southwestern desert lands that I have loved so much “
“What a high impact, beautiful, artful, researched, storied post you just did!!!”
Here’s another reason to subscribe:
“Just looking at paintings of natural environments can have positive effects in terms of mood, connection and motivation.”
- Dr. Nicole Ardoin, Director of the Social Ecology Lab at Stanford
I agree—and hope that seeing my art in your Inbox will add positivity to your life! 😃
Where to see more of my art
