Inspiring Radiographs

I’ve been working on katazome for the upcoming Art at St. Kate’s show on July 25th. Meanwhile I want to share a few amazing images sent to me by my brother Joe, who is an anatomy professor and ichthyologist. He aptured these images of sea creatures and garden flowers in the lab using soft radiographic (x-ray) technology. In his words, “soft radiographic imaging (X-rays produced at low kilovoltage) can be used to document differences in structural density in a variety of organisms. When used in conjunction with extremely fine grained film, it is especially well suited to displaying details in vertebrae bone, invertebrate exoskeletons and the leaves and flowers of plants. Conventional high voltage X-ray technology is not capable of producing such highly resolved images.”

Seahorse
Seahorse
Skate
Skate/Ray
Monarda
Bee Balm (Monarda)
Thistle
Thistle

 

Rain King

Preoccupied with our need for rain (we were 10 inches below average rainfall by the end of May), I decided to draw my favorite sprinkler, the Rain King. I need/want to draw more for the sheer joy of it and because my textile process is so long from start to finish that I crave the more immediate gratification of drawing. It is such an interesting object that I know I will draw it again. Coincidentally, we’ve had several rainy days since June 4th, the day I sketched this.

Rain King

Preoccupied with our need for rain (we were 10 inches below average rainfall by the end of May), I decided to draw my favorite sprinkler, the Rain King. I need/want to draw more for the sheer joy of it and because my textile process is so long from start to finish that I crave the more immediate gratification of drawing. It is such an interesting object that I know I will draw it again. Coincidentally, we’ve had several rainy days since June 4th, the day I sketched this.

Rain King, vintage sprinkler. Cast iron and made in Chicago!
Rain King, vintage sprinkler. Cast iron and steel, made in Chicago!