Lara is a botanical illustrator and artist in Charlottesville, Virginia. Currently, she is one of the botanical illustrators for the Flora of Virginia Project. She has her undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Virginia and a Masters in Plant Ecology from Virginia Tech. She was awarded a gold medal at the Royal Horticultural Society garden show in London and her work has been in several ASBA traveling exhibits and catalogs. Her painting was accepted into the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation and she is represented by Susan Frei Nathan’s Fine Works on Paper. She teaches classes and workhops in Charlottesville at the McGuffey Art Center. Her work can be followed on instagram at instagram.com/laragastinger.