Bundle of Nerves

“Bundle of Nerves” Oils, 30”x40”- $1500

A long while back, I came across Steve Gschmeissner’s Scanning Electron Micrograph of a cross-section of a bundle of nerve fibers. I fell in love with the landscape-like quality of it, as well as the idea of literally depicting a “bundle of nerves”. I painted one version in a collaborative piece with artist Niki Frazier, and had to revisit it as I prepared for my first Open Studios at Otis St. Arts Project. Needless to say, another work took priority and I just finished this a few days ago. I added other depictions of more magnified neurons in the background to bring context to the strange tubular shapes with confetti streamers. It now and will always represent my anticipation of my very first Artomatic. Though I don’t know exactly what kind of nerves are depicted here, I am sure that they were responsible for at least one aspect of my anxiety in the leadup to this fantastic and MASSIVE collection of artists and performers I am loosely referring to as a “show”.

Steve Gschmeissner’s SEM of Nerve Fibers

“Bundle of Nerves” 2024

It's in My Brain

As you may have noticed, I’ve been geeking out about neurology these days. The educator in me is always seeking to tell a story, to teach people something amazing. To share in the experience of having my mind blown again and again by the wonders within us all. As I mentioned in my posts regarding “Bundle of Nerves” and “Wishful Thinking”, I imagined building a huge axon and axon terminal (the trunk and roots looking part of the neuron), to show how neurotransmitters are passed across the synapse. Neurons are pretty funky looking cells, sometimes reminiscent of trees. I’ve included a few pictures illustrating these kinds of nerve cells. I wanted to create something rough but engaging to fill my space at Artomatic, to immerse viewers in a forest, stemming from my own brain cells. The goal was to make it seem as if the cells were transversing the space between rooms.

“It’s in My Brain” (left side)

“It’s in My Brain” (right side) with “Wishful Thinking” (mobile) and “Bundle of Nerves” (painting)

Concentric Lamellae

”Concentric Lamellae”- 6.75”x10.5” Gel Pens - $80

This is an abstraction of the structures called concentric lamellae - tubes of different sizes fitting inside each other to form an osteon (formation of compact bone). Running through the core of an osteon and along its axis is the central canal that contains blood vessels and nerves.. See images below.

Closeup of Concentric Lamellae, displaying metallic sheen of gel pens

Escape into the Topography of Grief

From Instagram Post August 16, 2023:

“Escape Into the Topography of Grief” - 12”x12” paper, fabric
It’s been a while since my last post. You may wonder why “escape into” grief? Its topography is constantly changing. You climb a hill, only to fall into a pit on the other side. No matter what, every level of the process is necessary. Every layer brings a new perspective. One cannot help but leave their current surroundings completely, whether figuratively or literally in order to make their way through it. As painful, cumbersome, or treacherous it may be, I tend to let the tide carry me, to follow the path where it may lead.
So much love to those who have lost.

Mechanics of Olfaction

This piece is part of a larger series of works depicting the mechanics of the 5 senses. In this case the mechanics of olfaction (smelling… stuff - not smelling as in being stinky). Thanks to my friend Tom Coate, who shared with me his lectures on the senses from his neurology class!

“Mechanics of Olfaction”

Mechanics of Vision

This piece is part of a larger series of works depicting the mechanics of the 5 senses. In this case the mechanics of vision. Thanks to my friend Tom Coate, who shared with me his lectures on the senses from his neurology class!

Somatosensory Organs

Somatosensory Organs in the Skin (from left to right):
“Pacinian Corpuscle”
“Merkel Cells”
“Ruffini Corpuscle”
“Meissner’s Corpuscle”

Diagrams of Somatosensory Organs

Wishful Thinking

“Wishful Thinking” 2024 Mixed Media Mobile - $1000

Another project started around the same time as “Bundle of Nerves”. As I was following image after image into an internet wormhole, I got to thinking that I was quite distracted that day. Not knowing where to begin or, in this case, having too many ideas to know which to begin with is not uncommon for someone with moderate to severe ADHD. My wormhole took a tangent, then, and I began wondering what causes ADHD and what that looks like. I came across the sentence, “ADHD was the first disorder found to be the result of a deficiency of a specific neurotransmitter — in this case, norepinephrine.” Immediately, I wanted to know what norepinephrine looked like. I found a number of molecular diagrams, which I used to create around 100 molecular models. I decided I wanted to create a mobile with an abundance of these deficient molecules, circulating around my head, and playfully called it “Wishful Thinking.” The catch was that I was struggling with the scale and function of these particles being transmitted into the synapse of the neuron, and couldn’t figure out how to display the molecules in a way that would represent the process and that would be visually appealing. I imagined building a giant axon (see “It’s in My Brain” post), and a synaptic cleft, and was assisted in visualizing the mechanics by a professor friend of mine, who introduced me to the concept of exocytosis via synaptic vesicles. This may be a bit too in the weeds for some of you, but it’s a fascinating process. Imagine bubbles filles with neurotransmitters. Yeah. That’s where I ended up. :)

“Wishful Thinking” with “It’s in My Brain” (right side)

Connections Staunch the Wound

During the pandemic, the sense of loneliness was feuling depression all around me. I happened across this image of a fibrin web and was struck by the geometry of it, and the depth of space in the image. Platelets are small particles similar to white blood cells that activate and help connect fibrin to create these webs at the site of a wound. As I worked to create my own interpretation, I focused on the layers of connections between me and friends and family even at a distance. The knowledge that they were still there, that they would support me no matter what, was a comfort, staunching the wounds of isolation.

Clotted by Eli Moore

The colors from this image inspired my palette.

Layer upon layer…

Functioning Dysfunction

This piece represents the challenges but also the beauty I find in my attention deficit and executive function issues. Thoughts weave in and out of my brain, sometimes connecting, sometimes reaching their intended destination, but often not. Connections are broken (in this case literally) and later repaired with whatever’s handy (i.e., scotch tape). You do what you can do; you use what you’ve got. But I can see so much more than people who aren’t easily distracted. I take in so much more. Sometimes the way I piece my thoughts back together creates new connections that no one would have thought of previously. There is always struggle, but there is a gift in seeing the beaty and the wonder of it as well.