Immediately Identifiable
(2012). 80”x116”. Pigment dispersion and silk
screen on canvas. Image
courtesy of the artist.
Two models of human
protein, “bubble” (in red)
and “ribbon” (in black
and gray). The helices
are the chains of amino
acids that make up human protein.
Mitosis Mutation (1994). 24”x24”.
Pigment dispersion and silk screen
on canvas. Image courtesy of the
artist.
At the top of this image, the chromosomes of Isabel Goldsmith were
photographed under a microscope
at the John Innes Center, Norwich,
England, in 1992. Her blood was
autoclaved and the nuclei were
placed in a French bean culture so
that I could make her genetic portrait. In this image they are replicating themselves and snapping off
to make new pairs in the process of
mitosis. Later in 1994, the generic
image of the AIDS virus, as seen
under an electron microscope, was
combined as a visual collage to create a new image about the fragile
nature of life. This painting was a
precursor to a series about Vanitas.
SciArt in America December 2013
37