A Closer Look

38” x 24”

Acrylic Paint & Glitter on Canvas

In Collaboration with Justus Smith, MS Student in the Environmental Engineering at the University of Wisconsin – Madison

Hidden inside the murky waters of a wastewater treatment facility are diverse groups of bacteria, that when dyed, create symphonies of color. Something so unthought of and unseen has the potential to be incredibly beautiful. I was inspired by moving waters, the view of microorganisms through a microscope, and the tubes of a bioreactor used to agitate samples of Candidatus accumulibacter.  

I used acrylic paint and glitter to represent the tiny organisms that hide in plain sight as well as texture to add more visual interest. Glitter is not often looked at as a fine art tool because it commonly appears in crafts, and it is also hard to work with and manages to get everywhere. I was inspired by that to incorporate it into my paintings because in a way it is like how people look over the beauty hidden inside wastewater.