Microscopic Organisms

Fueled by a residency at A Studio in the Woods— Flint and Steel— I have been working with a Microbiologist at Tulane University, Tim McLean. During the residency we collected water samples from local bayous and under the scopes at Tulane began the exciting task of discovering what lives in our local fresh water. I was blown away by the shapes, movement and whimsy of these alien looking creatures! Our collaboration continues, as well as my investigation into slightly more abstract observations of these organisms and the “world” they live in. I’m fascinated by  the shift in focus of the microscope, conveying vast depth in a water sample a fraction the size of a penny.

Worlds Within – Artist Statement 2016

There is a multitude of life in every drop of water. My current works seeks to unveil the magic swimming and spiraling around us by making the viscera and essence of the micro large and available; but without losing the sensation of awe these living organisms inspire in me. Through colographs, etchings, and silkscreens, printed and waxed for translucency, I merge and mix mediums; experimenting in order to shift the viewers relationship from a two-dimensional experience into one reflective of the in and out of focus shifts of a microscope. The three dimensional displays aim to continue this conversation, and create a visual and poetic language about magnification. The unusual circular boundaries of my frames emulate the microscopes lens, as well as portals into different worlds; while the windows through magnification create a tension between the controlled boundary of the box and the expanding world visible only in sections within.

These pieces are experiments on optical shifts, attempting to catch and preserve the surprising depth contained in the minuscule quantities of water on a slide.The work is fresh and untested. These pieces are a demonstration of my love for process and printmaking, as well as the microscopic world.