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
A Curious Convergence
Casuarinas’ sneaky, pine-like adaptations to salty, highly variable landscapes. Casuarinas line waterways across the Nations of (at least) the Southeastern edge of the continent. From what I know for sure, they stretch from Awabakal to Yuin Country, along rivers and up the backs of sand dunes. They form forests of soft needles and spiky cones,…
Tree ferns
I have made a tiny spool scroll of the life cycle of a tree fern (Dicksonia Antarctica). These are amazing plants with a remarkable natural history. Ferns as a class of plant emerged on Earth a very long time ago (nearly 400 million years). Their life stages and structures pre-date the seed as an evolutionary…
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.
Eav Brennan 