Color Blocks

6x6” each, ink, gouache, and watercolor on aqua board.

I’ve been working a new set of cellular drawings that came about pretty spontaneously. Most of the drawings up to this point have consisted with a lot of detailed patterns and line work. Over the last week or so, especially while recovering from Covid, I decided I wanted to go a little simpler and return to a looser line style that I started out with once I returned to painting and drawing.

Originally the plan was just to do black and whites, but who am I kidding? Bright color is my signature and my addiction.

As with my other cellular drawings, the style of each cell is heavily influenced by Mesoamerican art. I definitely soaked up inspiration from my recent trip to the Met and visited their Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Mayan Art exhibition.

As I read and learn more about cellular biology, I see how they are like glyphs; they convery information and tell the stories of our bodies. I’m drawn to creating them on blocks as a metaphor for how cells are the building blocks of life.