About the Artist

Exhibition History

Felice Café, 2025 (Group)

Night Of Artists, ‘Luminous’, 2024 (Group)

Planted Tank, 2024-2025 (Group)

Anvil Café, 2024-2025 (Group)

E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum, 2023-2025 (Group)

Concordia, February 2025 (Group)

Bleeding Hearts Gallery, February 2025, (Group)
Night Of Artists, ‘Into the wild’, 2025 (Group)

Publication History

Illustration/Writing/Revisions

Kent, K., J. Pinzon, & H. Proctor. (2023). A beginner-friendly key to the families of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) known from the Canadian Prairie Provinces

Illustration/Revisions

Pinzon, J., K. Kent & R. Bennett (2022) First record of Pholcus opilionoides (Schrank, 1781)

Pinzon, J., K. Kent, D. J. Buckle & R. Bennett (2022) Redescription of Robertus arcticus (Chamberlin & Ivie 1947) (Araneae: Theridiidae), with the first description of the female.   

In preparation

Impact of edge type, and pitfall trap modification on spider diversity retention in central Albertan agroecosystems, K. Kent., B. Mori., J. Pinzon, Expected 2025

“Lots of Lovely Legs” Illustrated Spider Children’s book, first draft completed 2015, revising painted illustrations

Artist Biography

Kirra (She/They) has vacillated between art and science since early childhood, and in the last four years, she has finally embraced smashing them together. They have both a Bachelor’s degree (2022) and a Master of Science (2024) from the University of Alberta, as well as a prior diploma of animation from VanArts (2014). Their artistic skills supported their initial admission into university. Despite the outward presentation of a strictly science-focused decade since animation school, illustration has been a key component of her three current scientific publications and a digital anti-arachnophobia book.

In parallel with their academic career, they have used most of their free time to experiment with the limits of fine art materials, intending to work on surfaces or scales not previously in her practice. Recently, Kirra has decided to seriously pursue the arts with more intention as a career element, and has participated in a few group exhibitions in 2024, with more exhibitions scheduled in 2025.

Artist Statement

Hours spent in the quiet backrooms of natural history museums and afternoons flipping logs in the woods have left me attentive to the ignored. My work largely aims to elevate underrepresented elements of the natural world like fungi, slugs and so on as worthy of equal consideration as more conventional subjects of nature-themed art. I find strange organism charming; I paint to make an argument for the reconsideration of what is worthwhile and beautiful. Underrepresented subjects serve as an allegory for the broadly underrepresented perspectives of neurodivergent individuals, whose interests and vision may seem disconnected from others.

I use reclaimed textiles and occasionally, warped wood in place of traditional canvas. This allows me to work with the preexisting patterns on the ‘canvas’ work in concert with the subject and reduces my contribution to the waste crisis. Whenever appropriate, I use my work as a venue for scientific communication: it is easier to connect with a painting, then a Wikipedia article. Global biodiversity is declining, yet only a fraction of it is seen up close; I intend to capture as much of it as I can on canvas through an emotionally accessible lens.