An Artist Takes Flight

mma Nydam never imagined she would travel to Japan. But when she heard about an opportunity through AMOR, Dordt’s mission and service program, she took a leap of faith—a decision that led to both cultural discovery and a remarkable moment for her art.

Nydam, a biology student with a deep passion for art, was intrigued by the country’s love for nature and by the opportunity to visit a place “so different from my own.” But what solidified her decision was an unexpected connection she had made a year prior. During a visit to Dordt, Peter and Diane Bakelaar, missionaries who run Gallery Nani in Seto, Japan, noticed Nydam’s artwork in the art studio. They were struck by a series of bird paintings she had created. Titled “Birds of the Air,” the triptych featured a raven, sparrows, and swallows—each of which hold biblical significance. The Bakelaars, in the middle of curating an art exhibition at their art gallery, were astonished by the thematic alignment between Nydam’s work and their vision for the show.

“When Peter saw my paintings, he said, ‘This is perfect. Our show is also called ‘Birds of the Air,’” Nydam recalls. “It was such a cool moment of realization that my work fit exactly with what they were trying to do.” They invited her to display the paintings in Japan.

For Nydam, seeing her work on display in a country that values nature so profoundly was surreal. Her Japan trip reinforced her love for both the natural world and the power of illustration. While there, she encountered intricate Japanese artwork, from ancient pottery and ceramics to traditional ink paintings. The experience reminded her why she chose to major in biology, in part because she wanted to learn “about God’s creation in a deep way.” During her freshman year, Nydam took a zoology class with Professor of Biology Dr. Robbin Eppinga, and that’s where her love for art and curiosity for biology further intersected.

“We did dissections and had to identify body parts of different species for quizzes and tests,” she says. “I practiced by drawing the dissections and labeling them. I have a sketchbook full of drawings of a crawfish, a turtle, a rat, a cricket. I remember telling my science professors that I was thinking about getting a minor in art, and they said, ‘Oh, you should consider doing scientific illustration.’ I had no idea it existed.”

She started taking as many art classes as she could and set her sights on becoming a scientific illustrator. Since then, she’s taken courses in ecology, ornithology, entomology, botany, and more—all the while, painting and drawing what she sees.

“Scientific illustration isn’t just about making something look pretty—it’s about clarity, accuracy, and helping people see what they might otherwise overlook.”

Her love for nature and illustration also led her to start a small business, where she sells prints and commissions of her work. “I love when people tell me that my art helped them notice something new about a bird or a plant,” she says. “That’s exactly what I want to do—help people see the beauty in the details.”

Now, she’s preparing for the next step in her journey. This fall, she will attend California State University-Monterey Bay, where she has been accepted into a prestigious scientific illustration graduate certificate program. The program will allow her to refine her skills and pursue a career in a field that blends her love of biology and art.

Looking back, Nydam is grateful for the unexpected turns her journey has taken—from a chance encounter with Japanese missionaries, to a future art show in Japan, to a future dedicated to scientific illustration. “It’s been incredible to see how my passions have come together in ways I never anticipated,” she says. “I’m excited to keep exploring where this path leads.”