Autumn Kulaga - Illustrator

Ever since she can remember, Autumn Kulaga has always loved to create. Through observation and creation she came to learn about and understand the world around her. Her path has not been very direct but the scenic route is one that provides the most opportunities to explore.

As a child, Autumn’s innate urge to create was nurtured by the friends and family around her. Initially, the photography work done by her family had a large impact on Autumn’s artistic development. She subsequently took classes at Harford Community College taught by professor Chris Heard where she developed an eye for composition and learned to think about the elements of a picture. Fostered by a love for the work of Vincent Van Gogh, Autumn felt a desire to paint and enrolled at the Virginia Commonwealth University in its Communication Arts Program where she earned a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in Communication Arts. Here, classical training in painting and illustration allowed her to pursue realism and a passion for faithfully representing her observations as visual art.

To supplement her visual studies, Autumn also concentrated her studies in Biology. This course work was under taken to prepare her for the next step - Medical Illustration. Somewhere through her undergraduate journey, Autumn realized that her natural curiosity meant she would need more out of art than realistic representation; she needed to delve deeper into her subjects. Following in the path of other Medical Illustrators, she attended the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Biomedical Visualization Program. Here, she earned a Master’s of Science degree in Biomedical Visualization and learned to apply her creative energy to the world of science.

Autumn is currently a professional member of the Association of Medical Illustrators and works as a Medical Illustrator for the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland. Her work at ARL focuses on the visual communication of research devoted towards protecting the soldiers of the U.S. Army. Autumn also works as a freelance illustrator through her business, Encephalo Studios, and still finds time to pursue her personal artistic endeavors.