Eclipse: Infinite Ending

2014-2020

Total Eclipse room (2017)

Acrylic on Canvas

32”x40”

Solar eclipse of 2017 was an experience of spotting nature’s deceptions. The sun just seems like a glowing orange dot gliding in the sky over the course of a day, when it is really us that is circling away. Our perceptions betray the logic of the world all the time. Space and time in separate planes, on which we move forward.

James Baldwin declared that he is an observer. Observers, like Baldwin, are important members of our society; they remember, record, and reflect our realities, our past and present conditions, and our dreams for the future. I strive to become a keen observer. As a scientist, I am trained to observe and interpret the physical world. I grapple with natural processes and the uncertainties bound to the randomness that is intrinsic to nature. My scientific training influences how I approach painting and defines my identity as an artist (and as an observer). Thus, I find myself in a unique position, from pursuing multiple disciplines, to expose nature’s deceptions resulting from the limits of our perception.

In these paintings, I wanted to convert the reality I observed in the solar composition, responsible for the eclipse, into a creative process. It was simple at first with some walls and floors hosting the eclipse, then different contexts emerged as the series expanded. The series includes suns eclipsing in grey, synthetic, and natural structures and suns eclipsing in plants, along with two light box paintings staging the sun.

I took some hints from Hilma af Klint whose stint as a scientific illustrator seemed to have planted a seed for her magical abstractions. I was drawn to scientific and botanical art because they make knowledge and discoveries accessible. These paintings are inspired by both traditional botanical art (e.g., Franz Bauer’s illustration of Bird of paradise (c.1818)) and innovations made in high-resolution photography (e.g., Andrew Syred’s scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of Forget-me-not flower (2007)).