Josie Iselin

Josie Iselin is an author and photographer who has foregone the tradition of the camera; she uses her flatbed scanner exclusively to generate her stunning imagery. Iselin has created eight books on forms in nature, each more luscious in detail than the next, but has settled on exploring the world of seaweed and kelp as a portal into an astounding corner of our ocean universe. Her most recent and most ambitious book is titled "The Curious World of Seaweed" which was released by Heyday Books in August 2019. It contains sixteen discreet seaweed stories that not only explains the science of seaweed--how it succeeds in the intertidal zone where ocean meets the continents--but also the who and how it has come to be known. Each chapter touches upon exploratory expeditions, pioneering women scientists and algal intrigue, as well as explaining the natural history of these iconic seaweeds and kelps. "An Ocean Garden: The Secret Life of Seaweed" was released by Abrams in March, 2014 and is Iselin's delightful visual primer on seaweed. The spectacular images of marine algae will knock your socks off while the accompanying essays lyrically combine the personal stake in our shores with the biology of seaweed: why it is so brilliantly colored, how fast it grows, and its essential qualities for our ocean's health and our own. A delight! "Beach Stones" was Iselin's first, published in 2006 by Abrams, followed by "Leaves & Pods" and "Seashells". A tiny book of "Heart Stones" came out for Valentine's Day, 2008. In Spring 2010, "Beach: A Book of Treasure" was published by Chronicle Books. As both writer and photographer, Iselin pushes deeper into what we find at the beach, both scientifically, personally and historically. The collaged imagery is spectacular, the text is lyrical and informative. The mix of science and artistry makes all these books provocative for both the visual explorer--those wanting to know more about the natural artifacts we find around us--and those concerned with where our planet is heading. Josie Iselin lives on a steep hill in San Francisco. Her studio, Loving Blind Productions always has new projects in development and her work is on view at josieiselin.com. She is active in ocean conservation as a speaker, educator and advocate.