2018; gouache and acrylic on wood (photography by Paul Takeuchi)
These paintings were made for an exhibition inspired by collaborations between scientists and artists, concerning research about foraminifera, a type of single-celled organism that demonstrates adaptation to extreme environments, specifically in the Santa Barbara Basin of southern California.
Three concepts became my focus for this project: the layers
of ocean sediment where benthic foraminifera thrive (often without oxygen, as
in the example of the Santa Barbara Basin); the forams’ reticulopodia that
function as multipurpose tools, providing a means of movement, of reproduction
and metabolic exchange, and of grasping materials and food, among other
functions; and agglutination as a method of formation and growth of certain foraminifera
tests or shells.
Inclined toward interpretation through abstraction and
metaphor, I made multiple small paintings on wood panels. The lines and forms in
each painting were determined by the grain patterns, with their implication of
sedimentary layers and organic structures. The painted elements’ extensions
over the edges of the panels suggest a shift of perspective and connotation of
what is present on the face of the panels. The paintings may be seen as facets
of interpretations of aspects of foraminifera.
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Foram Facet A (6x6 inches)
Foram Facet L (6 x 6 inches)
Foram Facet H (6 x 6 inches)
Foram Facet F (6 x 6 inches)
Foram Facet K (6 x 6 inches)
Foram Facet I (8 x 8 inches)
Foram Facet D (8 x 8 inches)
Foram Facet E (8 x 8 inches)
Foram Facet G (8 x 8 inches)
Foram Facet J (10 x 10 inches)
Foram Facet B (10 x 10 inches)
Foram Facet C (10 x 10 inches)
Foram Facet M (10 x 10 inches)