ArtPlantae Today

Natural history artist, calligrapher and science educator, Kelly Houle, is creating a large-scale illuminated manuscript based on Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species. Each page will be designed as a work of art. All text will be written by hand and natural history illustrations will be illuminated with iridescent watercolors and 23-karat gold. The completed manuscript will be 22 x 30 inches and is expected to have 300 pages and over 500 illuminations.

Kelly has established working relationships with biologists and evolution experts from all over the world who will advise her during this project (see timeline). Kelly’s goal is to enhance public understanding of Darwin’s text. She explains:

I believe that the main barrier to understanding The Origin of Species is the perceived difficulty of the writing. The concepts themselves are simple, yet profound. I hope to improve understanding of The Origin by integrating poetic arrangements of Darwin’s words with visually striking presentations of the evidence. I will use elements of poetry, traditional realism, lettering art, graphic design, and fine art illustration in the service of communicating one of the most important ideas in science. 

Kelly has been raising funds on the funding website Kickstarter. Donors donating $10 or more will receive gifts of art related to The Illuminated Origin of Species. All donors will have their names written in a special section of the illuminated manuscript. In addition to individual donations, Kelly is looking for an institutional donor to fund the entire Illuminated Origin of Species project in exchange for the completed manuscript.

To read more about this project, watch a short video and to make a donation, visit the The Illuminated Origin of Species.

Related

• View how this modern illuminated manuscript will be created at www.illuminatedorigin.com
• Visit the Illuminated Origin of Species on Facebook

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