Student Research Projects

Microbial Vivacity

Student Name(s)	Katie Bennett
Faculty Mentor(s)	Mr. Philip Guilfoyle
Department	Art
Course	Art 450: Studio Art Seminar

Abstract

For my Art Senior Seminar, I wanted to incorporate my biology with my art major. I was interested in examining unseen surface details of microorganisms and bringing them to life on canvas to encourage people to become aware and appreciate nature around them. A Scanning Electron Microscope was used to take black and white micrographs of various microorganisms. These micrographs were then transferred to large canvases with acrylic paint. Vibrant, imaginative color schemes were applied to these micrographs, which, although the paintings were naturalistic and true to the structures of these organisms, the paintings began to take on an abstract quality. This body of work is meant to provoke thought and awe and connect people to nature as well as science in an aesthetic way.