contrast, When I Was Young reflects the expanbles a sculptural mini-birth.
sive and fertile nature of youth. He has short,
chubby spinal branches at the end of all three of
Another core attribute of cast plaster is its
his arms with a very small nucleus as he is only
ability to absorb oil and other patinas. Color
beginning to store memories.
pigmentation is a critical element in my work
and this quality allows for a painterly, sculptural
I recently completed Here and There, a seven
skin.
foot tall addition to the family, based on bipolar
disorder. Scientific research suggests that cerIf all of the above were not enough compeltain conditions like bipolar disorder and Alling reasons, plaster casts also possess a strength
zheimer’s disease have associated degeneration and fragility that echo the larger ethos of much
of synapses and dendritic spines. The spines are of my work.
considered ‘immature’ and either do not develop fully or become spindly as a result of the
JB: What is the most challenging aspect of your artisdisease.* Here and There embodies this discovery tic practice?
in the form of a shortened spine along her back,
while the other attributes of her sculptural form JM: Being an artist is not for the faint of heart,
are imagined manifestations of bipolar condiit requires great resilience and perseverance.
tion. Her long dendrite arms are intertwined,
Despite the well-documented hardships known
though never touch. Her rose to deep red
to most artists, including myself, I would not
nucleus is filled with sunbursts and striations,
have it any other way. My art muse appeared at
representing the intensity of both aspects of
a young age and will be my companion until the
this condition—the mania and depression with end of this journey.
the gradations of both.
As Margaret Bourke White observed: “work is
All the sculptures in the “Dendrites” series
something you can count on—a trusted, lifelong
share anthropomorphic qualities with their
friend who never deserts you.”
more literal figurative siblings and in many ways
are the interior side of the same coin.
JB: In your view, what is the role of science-based art
in our culture at large?
*from the journal Neural Plasticity entitled, “Synapses and
Dendritic Spines as Pathogenic Targets in Alzheimer’s
Disease,” 2013.
JB: Most of your current work is made in plaster—
what drew you to this medium?
JM: I discovered plaster casts with oil patinas,
while attending the San Francisco Art Institute.
While I work in a variety of mediums, including resin and bronze, my preferred material is
plaster cast. For the past seven years, most of
my plaster casts are three-dimensional freestanding sculptures. Earlier plaster cast pieces
tended to be in bas-relief form.
JM: Science-based art serves an important
role in humanizing what can be very complex
and perhaps difficult to grasp conditions and
processes. In this sense, art which stems from
science becomes the gateway for a much larger
audience to understand themselves and their
world more completely.
From the earliest cave paintings to modern
Instagram photos, humankind has had a need to
visually depict and record their experience. In
ancient times, humans explained the mysteries
of the universe and themselves through deities
and rituals. As science evolved, it provided another lens to view one’s role in the larger world.
Plaster (gypsum) has a tangible organic quality, While not necessarily replacing religion, science
based in part on being quarried from minerals
has become the oracle of our time, shedding
and reacting in a chemical manner when water
light on our existence in profound and radical
is added. When water is added to plaster durways. In this model, science based artists become
ing the mold-making and casting processes, the the Pythias (or guides) to help others navigate and
plaster heats up and very quickly transitions
understand this emerging world.
from a heavy cream consistency to a hardened
form. It is a very magical sensation and resemJB: What are you working on right now? Or what is
SciArt in America June 2015
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