What Lies Beyond the Surface?

Throughout my life, I’ve struggled to see the bigger picture. I often find myself peering too closely, unable to put down my magnifying glass and stop analyzing every small, intricate detail. A metaphor I’ve grown fond of to describe this tendency is that of a museum visitor examining an impressionist painting. Up close, many impressionistic paintings cannot be deciphered, only becoming recognizable when viewed from a distance. Similarly, this portfolio represents my attempt to reconcile my challenge of seeing beyond the details while using impressionism to explore broader concepts.

In this collection of work, I utilize microscopic images of bacteria to pose questions about the toxicity, destruction, and death that envelop the human experience. Their brutality is juxtaposed in these paintings with their beauty; the flowing, organic marks conveying their kineticism, making these paintings feel almost alive.

Every bacterium, disease, or virus has a story to tell, one that isn’t immediately apparent on the surface. By building a bridge between the macro and the micro, I’ve shed new light on these microscopic forces and their connections to the paradoxes and complexities of the human condition.

Ultimately, the true significance of my subject matter isn’t in its intricacies alone. The invisible connections, the threads that link these microscopic forces to the broader human condition, are what give them their true significance.