Microbial Diversity

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on May 3, 2022 at 1:25pm

Thank you for responding, and for the kind words.  This is really beautiful work, and I imagine that even if you don't intentionally challenge yourself to approach the subject differently it will continue to evolve in your practice.

Comment by Nikki Coulombe on May 3, 2022 at 12:15pm

Thanks for sharing your observations, Kristen. Your work teaching with the environmental biologist sounds so interesting.

I love drawing and painting rocks but find it so easy that I don't pursue it much. I have it in mind to keep challenging myself with various subjects, but your maybe I should just relax for a while and do a series I feel most comfortable with.

I appreciate your critiques of all artists' work on this website.

Comment by Resident Curator on May 2, 2022 at 12:57pm

Curator’s Comments:

I was thrilled to see this new piece, Microbial Diversity on the site, particularly as I’m currently team-teaching a class with an environmental biologist!  Having recently researched a number of artists that utilize scientific subject matter and the process of discovery in their work, I appreciate this drawing moves beyond instructive specimen illustration and brings to light broader micro & macrocosmic relationships. Of course the drawing can be read as a purely formal abstraction. The blue linear marks edging the contours of the weighted forms (presumed to be microbes by the title) at the top of the composition beautifully counterbalance the more amorphous color shifts in the bottom.  The orange and green stratified bands also set up a relationship of complementary warm and cool hues. I wonder if this is the beginning of a new direction in your work, or if it conceptually expands threads explored in your Phenomenon series? Interestingly, it shares the aesthetic approach of your earlier Zen Garden imagery, despite the depiction of larger physical elements. Either way, I hope you to continue to share new work.