CathyRhythmc Patterns and Molecules: Dr. Regina Valluzzi
September 3rd 2010 15:48
Arbor
Red and Blue
Daisy Days
Subtle Machinery
Dr. Regina Valluzzi
Artist statement
Many painters, writers, and Artists are inspired by the beauty of the natural world. We depict nature and themes from our experiences of the world, abstract patterns and interactions that we observe and experience, and try to capture the moods and feelings evoked by the experiences in our daily lives. As a practicing scientist for several decades, I believe I have some unique experiences and views of the world to share through Art.
I'm a Physicist by training, with a number of publications in Polymer Physics, Biophysics, Nanotechnology and Soft Condensed Matter. I've developed courses and taught topics in Soft Condensed matter Physics, Materials Science, and Bionanotechnology. Along the way, as I've pursued my research topics, I've always painted. often these paintings are abstractions and impressions of things I've seen molecules do, or paintings with rhythmic patterns reminiscent and inspired by theoretical concepts underlying my experiments. other times they're simply deeply felt depictions of the natural world, as experienced after emerging from long hours of focused activity in a lab.
Working with very advanced microscopes, and with not-so-everyday optics and phenomena, has provided me with a wealth of visual experiences that are atypical. I've seen single atoms of metal embedded in impossibly thin foils dancing in an electron microscope, made my own projection images of sunspots, imaged patterned layers of materials a molecule thick, and seen quantum effects in daily technical life (and relativistic effects - both are nuisances). This rather different experience of the world has certainly influenced my ideas about abstraction versus realism in my painting, as well as providing subjects and visual inspiration.
I received a BS in Materials Science (3) and another in Humanities (21.6) with a minor in Visual Studies while at MIT. The Visual Studies minor included a smattering of formal training in Art. I received a PhD in Polymer Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I also learned how to work with photographs and digitized images (to publish data). The balance of my artistic training has been self-taught experiments with paint and painting materials, and various lessons from my father, who was also a painter.
A number of my original pieces have been sold into private collections, and I've been showing intermittently in juried, non-juried, and ad-hoc shows for over two decades. I'm more than happy to answer any questions about how a painting was created, or even about the chemistry and optical physics of paint and pigment (if you really want to know)!
Visit Dr. Valluzzi's website to see more.
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