Eav Brennan
Naturalist
I make art, tell stories and teach with plants, animals, rocks, fungi and people
I practice creative nature writing through literary comics. My work blends magic realism, folklore and non-fiction with a strong focus on materiality.
Current Project: Anthropocene Naturalist
I am currently exploring ideas around making the curiosity, wonder and whimsy that historically surrounds the naturalist tradition. Working as an environmental educator, I see every day how a single point of connection can help people learn and think about their ecological situation. My work seeks to understand how we can continue such a tradition of observation, mindful existence and care, while righting the colonialist and extractive practices of the past.
Latest blog post
Phytoplankton
The single celled organisms who have collectively fuelled the oceans and atmosphere for millennia. The story of how I made this book is here. Phytoplankton are the photosynthetic, microscopic beings who live in the upper columns of the worlds’ oceans. The most common phytoplankton – diatoms – have glassy shells of silica, which can form…
Prototyping circular books
I explored ways of visualising emergence and cycles by making a small book about snails. Finding alternatives with materials I already have The idea of circular books was not one I was exploring until I realised the multitude of small wooden circles I had purchased from reverse garbage were too engrained with their existing logos…
Past Project: Graphic Ecology, 2024
Published in 2024 with Dr Caitlyn Forster, Graphic Ecology is a comic essay on how to tell ecological stories in comic form.
Forever Project: Mending, upcycling and gathering
Crafting with reclaimed wood and fabric is how I ground my practice in community and family. Employing the techniques I learned from my mother and grandmother in sewing and crochet, gathering to communally craft and trade wares are the moments I feel truly rooted in my ecosystem. I use these approaches to foster care and action for environmental justice.
