This series of paintings examine a variety of scientific research sites in California’s Mojave National Preserve. The research instrumentation found at these sites—nestled within the sweeping grandeur of the eastern Mojave desert—can be highly sophisticated or resourcefully improvised. One suite of paintings examines an entomological research site where the moisture intake of individual creosote bushes is regulated to (in turn) regulate the reproductive rates of an elusive insect species that breeds on the bushes. (2004-2005, oil on panel 8" x 10") (Click on the images to enlarge.)