HS Art II & III - Science and Abstract Art

For this project, we looked at how science can be one of the things that inspire art. Artist Sue Benner has a degree in Molecular Biology and a Master's degree in Biomedical Illustration. Brightly colored abstract art quilts and textiles are her primary art form to work with. Many of her quilts were inspired by looking at cells through a microscope. Students in Art II & III chose a cell type which inspired their own work of abstract art using acrylic paints as well as an artist statement. Some also have fun titles. You won't need a microscope to enjoy these! 

(Click on each photo to see more closely.)

"Nervous Forest" By Jaron M.

It is a nerve cell that I made abstract. I love the blowing straw technique. I wanted to do a dark colored theme with maroon and black with purple and silver. I like how different this piece is. It was definitely out of my comfort zone but I definitely enjoyed making it.

By Kyler M.

This art piece shows a plant cell by the shapes of the rectangles and also the animal cell with the yellow circles.

"Paramecium Plaza" By Emmett M.

I initially chose the paramecium as my cell. The paramecium is a simple cell organism that can both get energy from the sun; and engulf other entities to get energy. The paramecium also has an "eye spot" that allows it to sense light. That is why I chose the paramecium, because it is so interesting.

"Smiles of Life" By Madelyn K.

My project is a grass cell. I chose it because I liked how happy they are and it reminded me of the growth of life and how happy life can be. (ART TEACHER NOTE: if you google "grass cells" you will see that they really do look like they have happy faces. Makes me want to be outside more. I love that God created them this way!)  

"Haha Happy Chemical Go Brrr" By Teagan M.

This isn't exactly a cell, but I chose to draw the chemical serotonin. Serotonin is one of the chemicals responsible for making you feel happy. It was really fun using bright colors to portray serotonin through abstract art.

"Cancer Alien Seaweed" By Miranda L.

I chose to do this cell because it is made of my favorite colors black and blue. The pics I took inspiration from were just different colors so I chose to combine them.

By Julien S.

I chose to paint nerve cells for my project. I like how they all connect and their shape. I wanted to make it very colorful and have the colors blend into each other where they connect. I outlined it in Sharpie to make it stand out more.

"Ones Celf" By Paul S.

I did this because I liked the design and I felt the tissue cells were very cool to do. I feel like I did very good on this painting and there really isn't anything I'd do differently if I did it again. It was hard coming up with a name but I thought hard and long about it and decided to call it "Ones Celf." I took the word Self and put a C in place of the S for the word Cell so I mixed the words, Self and Cell.

By Hope T.

I chose to paint platelets because they are usually forgotten when people talk about the blood. Without them your blood wouldn't clot and a small cut could kill you. They also have fun shapes.

By Emily P.

I chose to depict a plant cell because I love nature and plants and the cell I chose is from an orchid flower. I painted it to look blurry and messy so it looks more abstract, but if you knew it was a cell you could still be able to tell.

By Jaxon B.

The reason I chose to draw a mitochondria is it is the powerhouse of the cell and stores and provides chemical energy to all living things. The colors I used for this mitochondrion are obviously not the colors of the actual mitochondria, but I chose the colors because they contrast nicely. I decided to make the mitochondrion extremely long because the mitochondrion because it is a very important cell which both regulates and stores energy that creatures use to function.

"Sparkn' Diatoms" By John M.

For my project I chose to paint diatoms. The reason why I chose to use diatoms was mainly because they are made up of multiple different shapes and each one unique from the other, like snowflakes. My inspiration for the background actually came from an episode of Ren and Stimpy. There was a scene where the backdrop had an explosive look to it, so I took that and made it orange and yellow. The design of the cells themselves came from the look of a 1950's retro design. I enjoy the appearance of 50's retro for its sharp lines and simple shapes, and I had the idea of adding that texture to my design.