In 2011, inspired by a printed color atlas of histopathology, I began mining childhood memories and my family’s medical history, so I could present a series of portraits based on illnesses and medical conditions using microscopic views of cells, tissues and biological processes.

I termed the pieces “histo-portraits” and combined scientific illustration and unconventional portraiture to represent the people in my life. I combed through medical journals and refereed scientific publications to find information and reference images. At the time, these intricate portrayals were in part a formal and intellectual exercise ⎯ exploring a visual confluence between micro- and macroscopic views of the world. I was interested in forms that initially appeared fractal or cosmic but were in fact a magnification of things invisible to the naked eye, things that had happened or were happening in the bodies of people I knew and loved.