From tattoos to Coast Salish art, nature is a source of imagery and inspiration for the human imagination.

An exploration on capturing nature in art and other media will be offered Monday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle, where ten experts from the University of Washington and beyond have six minutes and 20 slides to discuss everything from imagery of the Hubble Space Telescope to cave paintings.

A dogfish tattoo, inspired by nature

Photo courtesy of the Burke Museum of History and Culture

Here is a complete list of speakers and more information about the program.

Katie Bunn-Marcuse, Assistant Director of the Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Coast Art Burke Museum, said that in some cultures a person of high rank and status would not be considered complete in their public presentation without adornment of their body with piercings and tattoos, the designs of which often came from nature.

The Maori use spirals inspired by fern fronds in some of their designs.

Photo courtesy of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.

Nature also was the source for the dyes used in tattooing, from burned blueberry bushes used in Coast Salish tattooing, to certain types of nuts in the Hawaiian Islands, Bunn-Marcuse notes.

And yet, in the instance of the dogfish tattoo, used to depict a family crest, the tattoo is about human identity, defining a person's place and kinship in a social setting. So while the design is inspired by nature, the statement is a profoundly social one, Marcuse notes.

Just one of the sorts of observations that will be on tap in an evening of reflection on nature as a source of inspiration for the human spirit.