Tree of Life #2

Tree of Life #2
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The miracle of the ear opens to us the world of sound. The vibrations are caught and funneled down our ear canals, moving our ear drum and vibrating the tiniest bones in our body. One of these minuscule bones, the stapes, in turn vibrates against the oval window of the cochlea. The cochlea is filled with a fluid which moves in response to the sound vibrations. Small hairs line the cochlea and sway with the movement of the fluid. It is finally these hairs that convert the sound into electric signals to be sent to the brain.

We experience so much of life through our ears, and what joy that brings.
Some of my favorite things to hear:
-Mark's voice
-Rain
-Thunder (Unless it's in the middle of the night, then it moves down the list)
-The morning birds
-Music
-The cackling of a dying fire
This painting of the cochlea (cross-section) celebrates the life of sound.

What are your favorite sounds?

Tree of Life #2 (in progress)

As I mentioned before, I am beginning to work again on my Trees of Life series. This one is not complete, but is getting pretty close. I have not yet decided how much blue to crop; I bounce back and forth between not cropping any and cropping 1/3 to 1/2 of it.
Any guesses on where you can find this tree in your body?

Resurrecting the Trees of Life

Tree of Life #1
36 x 36
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A year ago, well more than that actually (time really flies sometimes) I finished this painting as part of a series, The Trees of Life. As of now, it is still the only painting in that series. After some good advice and pulling out my old sketches, I am re-inspired to finish. I don't know if I am the only artist that does that (starts one idea, then another and another, then finally goes back and finishes). Anyone else do that?
This series sprouted out of taking anatomy and painting classes simultaneously. I have always loved the mixture of complexity and simplicity in the body, the grace of the figure, and the incredible functionality of how it all works together. The human body is just beautiful. I was really excited while examining the dissections and diagrams by the surprising number of "trees" that exist within the physical body. It wasn't long before I was sketching and painting them. This 36" x 36" painting was the only finished large scale drawing that emerged, mostly because I graduated, moved, and got distracted by other projects. It is time to finish.

Kudos to anyone who can figure out what "tree" each painting represents.