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A portrait of Neil Mendelson, Professor Emeritus, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Arizona, Tuscon, and a friend of the artist. Mendelson researched helical growth and its ramifications, and bacterial macrofibers, their self-assembly, their walking on solid surfaces, and their ability to drag structures over solid surfaces. Neil is not only a distinguished scientist but a professional double bass player in the Tuscon Symphony Orchestra. He's a mix of highly intellectual scientist, sensitive artist, and a bit of a wild guy.

"My painting takes off from nature inspired by science, especially from cell biology and botany. While much art depicts the world at the human scale (landscapes, portraits, apples in a bowl) I often start with cell membranes, the inside of cells, the silk spigots of spiders, lichens — the world of the tiny. By depicting natural forms in an imagined, mythical world, my paintings reveal the human psyche and its capacity to go beneath the surface of things; to experience beauty and awe and even fear; to understand that we humans are connected to all the other creatures on earth and even to the cosmos. I enjoy observing and reading about nature, but I am not a scientific illustrator in the conventional sense. I do study my subject matter...