Like my science, my art practice is first and foremost an expression of wonder. I find magic in the beauty of the natural world and I cannot help but try and share it. I work primarily in watercolors; sometimes acrylics, oils, pencil, and pen. I also dance with Hālau Ka Ua Tuahine.
portfolio of miscellaneous recent paintings
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PAST PROJECTS
WAI OLA: ʻAukele And The Waters Of Life
I was in the touring cast of Wai Ola: ʻAukele And The Waters Of Life, a production at the forefront of the contemporary revival of hula kiʻi (a Hawaiian dance puppetry tradition), thematically centered on the importance of water. This work was led by Nā Kumu Hula Māhealani Uchiyama, Maile Loo-Ching, Mauli Ola Cook, and Auliʻi Mitchell, and lead artist Meridith Kawēkiu Aki. It was presented at Rhythmix Cultural Works in Alameda, CA; Tenney Theater in Honolulu, HI; and Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco, CA.
INCENDIARY TRACES
I participated as both a geologist and an artist in Incendiary Traces: Survey to Surveillance, a project led by Hillary Mushkin examining representations of landscapes at the US-Mexico border from political, artistic, and scientific perspectives. This work was prepared for the COLA exhibition at the LA Municipal Art Gallery and featured in Places Journal and a SCI-Arc film. It was later exhibited at MoCA Tucson.
BLUESHIFT
A collaboration with Ian Etter, Blueshift explored the history of microbiology and search for life in the solar system with both visual (drawings) and performance (storytelling) art. It was exhibited at the PRACTICE Gallery in Philadelphia, and documented as an artists’ book.
STARDUST
For my undergraduate thesis I did a science illustration project on the chemical origins of life with mixed media paintings in the style of a Medieval illuminated manuscript. Selected artwork from Stardust was shown at the Centrum Gallery at Hampshire College and later included in an Art of Science exhibition at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena.
Dr. Usha Farey Lingappa 