Raster in Blue No.5

Explores spatial relationships within a constraint. This is related to the constraints of experimental assays on interpretation of data. The piece hints at the structure used to create, but merely represents the object through a perspective. You cannot see the template, but you can infer. In addition to using (clean) scientific plastic waste and commenting on experimentation, this piece focuses on texture, rhythm through rules and constraints.

Dimensions: 5 X 7in

Media: Ink

Framed: No

About the Science Artist: 

Steph Nowotarski (She/Her, They/Them) is an artist and scientist currently located in Kansas City, MO. Born and raised in Mertztown, PA, Steph had the excellent fortune to have at least one teacher every year whom fostered a love of learning in her K-12 years, and thus she wanted to do everything. She’s tried to do just that ever since.

While at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA, attempting a double major in Genetic Engineering and Studio Art, she was forced into a very rational decision based on resources: you can paint in your home, but you can’t afford (or even rent) a confocal microscope. After her BS, Steph moved to North Carolina to continue science training, fostering her love of the visual side of science though microscopy, and answering some really interesting questions about how cells in a tissue change their shape and probe their environment. She is currently a postdoctoral research assistant at the Stowers Institute in Kansas City, MO.

During her time on the microscope she doodled (a lot) and while in grad school, developed a habit still in place: science days, art nights and weekends. Her favored mediums change with her mood, the season, and how much time she has in front of her: oils, watercolors, inks, printmaking, a little bit of everything. She has found that each needs the other for the world to be in balance: her science is better with art and her art, better with science.