Here is the completed piece I have been working on for a few weeks now. This piece was inspired by a guide to human teeth. Each canine tooth is the complementary color of that below it, with the wisdom tooth centered above the mouth. The mouth is at the center of the work because it is the source of the pieces surrounding it. My primary medium was watercolor,  and there are also instances of pastel for added saturation of color.

Throughout this series of works that are focused on medical illustration, I have enjoyed exploring the medium of watercolor. I never realized how versatile it could be. I have always thought of watercolor as a washed-out, pale and dull medium. However, through this advanced art project, I was able to extract vibrant color from watercolor, and also learned how well pastels pair with this medium. Can't wait to see this piece in the Senior Art Exhibition soon! 

Grey's Anatomy in Technicolor

I'm so excited to share the progress I've made on my advanced arts project! I am almost finished with my teeth painting, and have started two other works that fit into my theme of the intersection of medicine and art. These two works were inspired by a Grey's Anatomy coloring book that I had when I was a child. I looked back at the vibrant hues I had chosen to color the muscles, arteries and bones of body parts, and recreated these images in watercolor and ink. These pieces are smaller than my teeth painting, 9''x12'' on watercolor paper. Here are the two pieces that are complete (for now):

My favorite medium to work in has always been oil, but the organic and unpredictable nature of watercolor is the prefect medium for this project which focuses on the natural elements and shapes that make up the human body. I enjoyed letting the paint drip down the paper for these works, allowing me to capture the viscous nature of the tissues within our body. The subtly sinister and gory drips and subject of these pieces work in contrast to the joyful, juvenile color palate I am working from. I am drafting up a new piece as I write this blog post of the cross-section of the human eye. Can't wait to post its progress in the next few weeks!

Inspiration

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” 
― Maya Angelou

In this blog post I would like to share some of the images that have inspired me throughout along this process. I have researched scoured medical textbooks, inspected the textures of the body, and taken a closer look at life through the microscope to find my inspiration. I have been able to explore my love for science and its intersection with art throughout this project. I look forward to the time I get to spend in my studio each week, working on these pieces. Here are some of the images I surround myself with in my studio while working on this project:

(From top left corner): Cross-section of the upper body, rust detail, illustration of blood vessels in limbs, Grey's Anatomy        coloring book, Domestic Medical Practice © 1930, close-up of oil, dental illustrations.

I also love to draw inspiration from modern artists; my newest art hero is Pat Perry, an illustrator and art innovator. He works in many different medium- everything from pen and pencil to watercolor and spray paint. The true emotion behind the places he visits and the people he meets shows through his work. Here are a few images that I found to be inspirational in my process:

I hope that through these images, it is easier to understand where I find inspiration to create my paintings, and all the changes my work goes through before it becomes a finished product.

Perry, Pat. "Pat Perry." Home -. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.
http://patperry.net

I have recently begun a new piece in my concentration on human anatomy. This piece is watercolor and chalk pastel on paper, 30''x35''. I found an image of the cross section of the mouth in an antique medical textbook lent to me by Mr. VanWormer, and decided to focus on this part of the body. The original textbook image is black and white, and does not give much information about textures or depth. I am adding color to model the shape and textures of the tongue, teeth, and imagining what the interior of the cheek must look like in a cross-section. Also, I have added six teeth specimens that frame this mouth cross-section. Two molars are strung to two canine teeth, each sitting in the four corners of this painting. Above each molar is an image of that tooth as seen from the view of a transverse plane (looking from the top down). The wisdom tooth sits between the two canine teeth. The modeling of each tooth will be painted with a different color, and each tooth will be tied to the above tooth with piece of string. (Whether I'm using real string or painting the threads in, I'm still not sure!) Here is the progress I've made so far:

(Also, I am still continuing to work on the painting of the cross-section of the neck- I like working on more than one painting at a time!)

Introduction of Advanced Art Project

I am very excited to be writing my first blog post about my Advanced Arts Project! The theme of my project will be focused on the intersection of human anatomy, and the things that define humanity. I am planning on creating some large-scale watercolor paintings of human anatomy overlaid with images of everyday
life, nature, and other things that people are defined by. I came across some some old medical textbook illustrations, and was inspired by the interconnectedness of every muscle, bone and blood vessel. The piece I am currently working on is an image of the muscles that compose the upper body, and will be
incorporating individual images into each of the muscles, veins, bones, etc. For this piece, I am contrasting man with his man-made creations by incorporating images of urban decay. Here is my piece so far:

Last Saturday, I spent my afternoon working on my first public art project! I was asked to out up decals of trees in the entrance of Bonnie McGuire Jone's law office. I first had to cut out each branch and trunk of the six trees, and then positioned them on the wall with masking tape. This part took the longest, as I wanted to make sure that the branches overlapped in a natural way, and the trees were positioned in a way that reflected a real forest. I decided to add a tree that reached around the corner and onto the next wall so clients who walk out of the conference rooms could see a bit of this mural.

After this, I was ready to adhere the decals to the wall. The decals were relatively thin, so I had to be very delicate when applying them to the wall and scraping out any air bubbles. Surprisingly, this process only took about an hour or two. After finishing each tree, I became more and more excited about seeing the finished product. The only person who was more thrilled to see the final piece than me was Ms. Jones McGuire. It was the best feeling to know that you created something that someone will admire each day they walk into their office. Ms. Jones McGuire was very happy with the warm, rustic feel that it added to the feel of her office, a feeling that one does not usually associate with a law office. The mural of trees complemented the plentiful oil landscapes that dotted her walls, and played off the colors of the tiger-wood floors in her office space. I had a great time working on this project and am thankful for the opportunity which was provided to me by Mrs. Slaughter.