With Forests of California, a Bay-Area Based Artist and Naturalist Offers a Call to Action

Oakland-based Obi Kaufmann does not see our state’s environmental crisis as a partisan or political issue. He’s more concerned with unifying the population around a common cause—improving and preserving our natural treasures. He believes the more people know about our geography and biodiversity, the more inclined they will be to protect it.

According to Los Angeles Magazine, “Kaufmann is known for publishing what he calls field atlases. ‘As opposed to a field guide, which will tell you what you’re looking at, a field atlas is a reference handbook to tell you how to look at these ongoing processes that are unfolding,’ Oakland-based Kaufmann explains. ‘It’s more of a treatise on ecology than it is on biology.’

“Devised for his 2017 award-winning book, The California Field Atlas, it’s a structure that he continues to use with The Forests of California, the first in his ‘California Lands’ trilogy.

In the 609-page tome, Kaufmann features his watercolor paintings alongside information about California’s natural settings. In addition to this visitor info, he delves deeper into the region’s past history, present realities and proposes solutions to a healthier environment for our future.

On September 25, take a once-in-a-lifetime virtual walk with Obi Kaufmann as he explores habit recovery and restoration of a burned forest in the Sierras. To reserve your spot, click below.

Click here to read more about Kaufmann’s background and latest creation.