American Scientist

Ellen Jewett is a sculptor whose naturalistic portrayals of plants and animals combine scientific accuracy with elements of the surreal. In her works, a white sea turtle sports a shell consisting of rich undergrowth, craggy rocks, and sweeping succulents, while long-tailed parakeets soar overhead between the limbs of a tree [My Paradox, My Friend, 2020]. A vibrant panther chameleon balances on its forelimbs, its hindquarters vanishing into the whorls of a snail shell that in turn supports a llama sporting a deer skull [Our Emotional Imposters, 2020]. A pink snake gazes calmly at the tiny green elephant on which it perches, the snake’s curling body mirroring the curl of the elephant’s trunk [The Precautionary Principle, 2025].