Fine Art
Holly Sumner
Holly
Sumner is a New York artist who has been captivated by the
drawings of Ernst Haeckel and has worked to couple form
with functionality in her images. Below is a short
statement from the artist herself. Her work on
planktonic forms – notably radiolarians and siphonophores
- you can find in the Gallery. Her
web page
contains her other work and curriculum vitae.
Holly Sumner: my art and inspiration: I became interested in plankton while browsing the scientific libraries in Woods Hole. I am drawn to the beauty of the abstract form and fascinated by the portrayal of the data. I am interested in the classifications, the ordering and organization of the groups and gleaning a character, personality, individuality from the organism that will resonate with my paintings and may form a personal connection to the viewer. In my studio, the paintings and drawings develop these traits. When the radiolaria were lining the walls of my studio I saw them as my protective radiolarian samurai. The siphonophores are leisurely, elegant, gentle and refined. The medusae are iconic and private.
My drawings layer a living organism, a microscopic
radiolaria, on a background diagram of a scientific
program through which its environment is analyzed and
responded to.
