ABOUT THE ARTIST
Deanna Derosia is an illustrator and biologist born and raised in the sunny Treasure Coast of Florida. Growing up next door to nesting sea turtles, strolling alligators, and bright pink spoonbills ignited her curiosity for the natural world, and inspired her to preserve unique habitats like Florida’s for generations to come. She founded her business Sealacanth Studios to now help others explore our natural world, discover its oddities, and learn about their own next door critters through
the storytelling quality of art.
behind the logo
"Sealacanth" is a play on words for the first animal that inspired Deanna to study biology - the Coelacanth. This living fossil was once assumed to be the "missing link" between sea and land dwellers, and in the same sense, Sealacanth Studios strives to be a much needed link between science and art. The coelacanth also reminds us that even though extinction is a possibility, we don't know all the things nature hides from us. There's always potential to reverse the harm we've done if we still have hope.
Press + Publications
2021 - Liveview Oak Unveils New Mural Celebrating Florida Wildlife Corridor
2020 - MarineBio.Life podcast
2020 - TCPalm
2019 - USCS Science Notes, Author Tom Garlinghouse, Turning the Tide: Revitalizing Elkhorn Slough
2017 - Vero Beach Portfolio Magazine
2016 - D. DEROSIA, N. HO, A. L.F.C. HO, J. LIN. Morphological identification of hybrid offspring between seahorse species Hippocampus erectus and H. reidi.
Clients
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Path of the Panther
Florida Native Plant Society
Smithsonian Marine Station
FIT Vero Beach Marine Lab
Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Complex
Coastal Connections, Inc.
Pelican Island Audubon Society
Indian River County Stormwater Division
Research Background + Affiliations
present - 2023 - MIT Lincoln Laboratory - Associate Graphic Artist
present - 2023 - Native Plant Trust - Member
present - 2021 - Florida Native Plant Society - Member
2023 - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation - OPS Biologist III
2022 - 2015 - Ecological Associates, Inc. - Sea Turtle Field Technician
2020 - 2019 - Ink Dwell - Mural / Studio Assistant
2019 - 2017 - Coastal Connections, Inc. - Graphic Artist / Social Media
2017 - 2014 - FIT Vero Beach Marine Lab - Research Assistant / Outreach
2014 - Smithsonian Marine Ecology Lab - Research Assistant
2014 - FSU Behavioral + Circadian Rhythm - Lab Technician
2013 - 2010 - FSU Evolutionary Biology - Research Assistant
Galleries + Festivals
2024 - "Floribunda", Jacksonville, FL
2023 - "Tarot" at Gallery-O-Rama, San Francisco, CA
2023 - "Tiny" at Two Cats Gallery, El Cerrito, CA
2022 - Space Coast Mural Fest, Cocoa Beach, FL
2019 - "Illustrating Nature" at the Museum of Natural History, Pacific Grove, CA
2017 - Walking Tree Winter Bazaar, Vero Beach, FL
2017 - Sebastian Lionfish Fest, Vero Beach, FL
Education
2019 - Graduate certificate in Scientific Illustration from California State University of Monterey Bay
2013 - B.S. in Biological Sciences, and B.A. in Studio Art (i.p.) from Florida State University
- Minor in Art History
- Minor in Chemistry
I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
For commission inquiries or other questions, please contact me at my email below, or through the Contact tab.