Joey Santore's illustrative roots began in the graffitied near-Northwest side of Chicago and grew into the detailed portraits, landscapes, and botanical illustrations of the world he discovered around him while piloting diesel trains across the American West. His passion for plants drove his self-education as a botanist leading him to seek out flora in places both wild and urban around the globe. His successful YouTube show, Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't, follows his adventures tracking botanical wonders throughout the world.