Exhibition at the Thorndike Gallery

Thorndike Gallery east wallThorndike Gallery west wall

It's hard to believe that almost two months have passed since the opening of the "MATTER GONE WILD" exhibition at the Southern Oregon University's Thorndike Gallery here in Ashland.  For all those who could not visit the exhibition, I am posting two photographs of the paintings hung in the beautiful light-filled gallery. The opening reception was very gratifying, with many people attending and staying for a long time to look carefully at the paintings.

On March 20, Carol Ferguson, Biology Professor at SOU and the person who taught me about cell biology, brought her University Seminar class to view the exhibition and to contemplate and write about what they saw. I met the students and was impressed by the thoughfulness of their questions, not to mention their enthusiasm for the painting. For this blog journal, I am going to let the students speak about the painting Cell. Be sure to click on the thumbnail of Cell below to see it enlarged.

Cell"When I think of things mysterious, certain colors come to my mind, dark colors like dark blues, purples, blacks and greens. These are colors I see in this painting. The cell is a mysterious thing to me because [even though] I have learned the function of a cell and also what makes up a cell, it blows my mind how complex something that small can be." —Valerie

"The abstract cell of the piece is reminiscent of a blurry microscope [image] which comes slowly into focus. Like a child being introduced to the majesty of the cell for the first time, we slowly recognize the mitochondria, the nucleus, the endoplasmic reticulum. Dubiner's evident love of science and aptitude for physical medium allows a truly magnificent experience to unfold before our eyes." — Josh

"Dubiner uses color, especially vivid volors, in all her pieces in a way that I have never seen another artist use. In Cell however it is unique. The colors somehow make me feel like I'm looking into a dream, while a the same time giving vibrancy and life to the cell. It seems to glow from within with life energy, and it's breathtaking. The nucleus of the cell glows like it's really alive, and this is all through the use of color. A black and white diagram of a cell could never express life the way this piece does..."—Marissa

In conclusion, I often felt that my most enthusiastic audience are and will be the high school and college students of today who have taken biology class in school. They know what the paintings refer to and are excited to see a unique interpretation of something already familiar to them. Just as the image of earthrise from the moon was the icon of the second half of the 20th century, so I believe the cell will be the iconic image of the first half of the 21st century. I cannot imagine what the image for the second half will be, but I hope it will emerge be another aspect of our beautiful living Earth.

Crystal Cave: Lost Mothers, Lost Daughters

Crystal Cave: Lost Mothers, Lost Daughter"Crystal Cave: Lost Mothers, Lost Daughters" is on display through the month of April as part of the beautiful, imaginative and thought-provoking Third Annual Juried Artist Book exhibit at Illahe Gallery and Studios.  "Crystal Cave" is another in my series of dioramas (see earlier blog.)

The theme of "Crystal Cave" is mothers and daughters who have been Mother and Maidenseparated through war, exploitation (child brothels, slavery), careers, involuntary marriage into another family/clan, illness, or strong personality clashes, and who are seeking each other in order to reconnect, to reconcile differences, to return to the love and nurturance of the ancient Mother-Daughter relationship.

In order to find each other, the women go into a beautiful Crystal Cave, deep within the living(!) body of the Earth, a cave like those considered sacred by ancient peoples.  As they go deeper into the cave, instead of finding darkness, they discover a stream of light and flowing water. The goddesses Demeter and her daughter Persephone are remembered here, as well as the tragic mother-daughter pair of Clytemnestra and her daughter, Iphigenia, whose father sacrificed her in order that his Greek army could sail onto their war against Troy.  Mother and Infant, Mother and Maiden, Crone and Her Adult Daughter are all represented.

Elder Mother and Daughter

My book/diorama is a poignant image. On one hand, many of the women are lost and alone. On the other hand, they inhabit a cavern that offers beauty and hope, Earth’s crystalline energy and multi-hued healing waters. With time and effort, may they find each other and be healed.Mother and Baby

The diorama itself is basesd on the "carousel" format so popular in children's books. It consists of three layers of Arches watercolor paper, folded in the center, cut away in various places, and held together on the sides. It is lit from above by small LED lamps. Dimensions: 11.5" wide x 12" high x 5" deep. To see the box it is in, view the three-quarter image of Crystal Cave in my gallery dioramas: a life on stage.

A portion of the sales of this diorama will go to Bioneers' Women's Leadership program, which "increases the capacity of women of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities to step into greater leadership to effect progressive environmental and social change."

Just before preparing this blog, I read of the recent suicide of Fakhra Younas, a Pakistani acid attack victim. One detail in the news article caught my eye: Fakhra's husband actually entered the house of Fakhra's own mother to pour acid on his wife. Imagine being that mother and witnessing the desecration of your own daughter. More than 8,500 acid attacks, forced marriages and other forms of violence against women were reported in Pakistan in 2011, according to The Aurat Foundation, a women's rights organization. The horrific crime against Fakhra Younas is an example of the systematic devaluation and denigration of women in many many parts of the world (including the United States). So many lost mothers and daughters! How urgently the world needs progressive women leaders!

celebrating lynn margulis

Shoshanah and Prof. Peter Westbroek with "Endo" paintingJust returned from a wonderful three-day symposium at the University of Massachusetts Amherst entitled "Celebrating a Life in Science: In Memory of Lynn Margulis." Dr. Margulis was an American biologist and University Professor in the Department of Geosciences at UMA and one of the greatest scientists of our era. (Go to the UMass Geosciences website or just Google her name and see what you find!) 

Over 60 speakers (scientists, teachers, friends, and family from all over the world) praised and commented on Margulis' revolutionary thinking, her courage and tenacity, her generosity and boundless energy.  The symposium was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life and convinced me of two things other than Dr. Margulis' genius: 1) computer-based learning will never replace the power of a live, caring and well-trained teacher. Dr. Margulis was a master teacher herself and inspired many by her very presence  to follow that profession, indirectly training thousands of science teachers who are in our schools today. 2) It is uplifting to hear people honor another human being whom they love and admire. How different from our current election campaign rituals in which people, from politicians to in-your-face bloggers and commentors, continually tear down others, dragging us all down into a culture of hostility. 

I attended the symposium as the creator of the iconic "Endosymbiosis" painting (see my blog "endosymbiosis: homage to lynn margulis") and felt both sad and elated to be at the symposium. I sensed the grief of those who had lost Lynn so suddenly and also their love for her. My own regret was that I had never met Lynn while she was alive; but people reassured me that she was there, mirrored in all those in the room who had known her.

Conference Hall during Margulis SymposiumThe 6-foot-wide canvas giclée reproduction of my painting, "Endosymbiosis: Homage to Lynn Margulis," stood on an easel in either the lecture hall or the dining hall during the entire conference [you can see it in the far left of the Conference Hall photo], highly visible. Every attendee received an 8x10" giclée print in their registration packet (thanks to the generosity of the Department of Geosciences), and I soon found myself happily autographing many of those prints, feeling somewhat of a celebrity. At the end of the symposium, the large canvas  was moved into the Morrill Science Center, to be permanently displayed with a dedicatory plaque in the hallway between the Geosciences and the Biology department, where, as one young woman told me, "thousands of future students will pass by it and be inspired."

What's next for me? More paintings! More science!

"Endosymbiosis: Homage to Lynn Margulis"

"endosymbiosis": homage to lynn margulis

Last November, I read of the sudden death of Lynn Margulis, controversial evolutionary biologist and one of my heroines. Her various books, including "Origin of Eukaryotic Cells," "The Five Kingdoms," "What Is Life?", "Microcosmos," and "Dazzle Gradually" (some written with her son Dorion Sagan), shaped my understanding of life on Earth

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Peacock

Enter the "Peacock", theme for my first blog of the new year, 2012. It's not hard to see why the peacock, a multi-hued swan-size bird, is emblematic of qualities such as beauty, grace, and pride.

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