The Brain Series

A series illustrating how various parts of our brain impact our behavior and vice versa

This post will be updated with new work. Stay tuned or chose to be notified via email by completing this brief form: http://eepurl.com/OUkJ


Click on the blog links below the images to read more about the work.



All rights reserved (c) Michelle Hunter

Creative commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Yet to be Seen (c) 2012 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2012/04/new-painting-on-brain-and-visual-cortex.html

It Begins: The Brain and Secondhand Smoke Part 2 (c) 2012 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-painting-brain-and-smoking-part-2.html#

Brain and Smoking - Part 1 (c) 2012 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2012/02/new-painting-brain-and-smoking-part-1.html

Brain Rhythm (c) 2011 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2011/10/new-brain-painting-brain-rhythm-24x24.html 

Zzzzzzz (Sleep) (c) 2011 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-painting-nap-time.html 

First Aid (c) 2011 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-painting-first-aid.html 

Don't You Remember? (c) 2010 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-painting-dont-you-remember.html 

Caffeine Headache (c) 2010 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2010/10/caffeine-headache.html  

Past, Present, Future or Dreaming  (c) 2010 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-painting-which-image-matches-your.html 

New Painting - The Brain and Smoking, Part 1

If you are a smoker, ever wonder where that "feel good feeling" comes from? My latest painting in my ongoing Brain Series helps describe what's going on.

[Working Title] The Brain and Smoking, Part 1

20" x 24"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

The Brain:
Two chemicals in the brain which influence our mood are triggered when one smokes something with an addictive substance such as cigarettes that have nicotine. Opioids is one feel good chemical which contributes to positive feelings and calming pain. Dopamine is another feel good chemical

The Artistic Process:
Though I usually post in progress pictures, my SD Card suddenly stopped working so I couldn't retrieve the files. Lesson learned to back up more often.


This painting is the first part of a diptych. The second half of this piece is of the brain of a non-smoker's experience with secondhand smoke.

I was working on another brain painting which was more involved before starting this one. That led to me wanting the composition for this one to be simpler and to the point.

And black and white composition, with the brain filled up with smoke was the idea. The areas of the brain that trigger opioids and dopamine and the area of the brain that manages emotions are highlighted with gold.

The composition illustrates that as one inhales cigarette smoke, the nicotine from it begins to trigger the creation of opioids in the brain. That will turn trigger the production of dopamine. Those chemicals send signals to our frontal lobe which generates the feelings of pleasure, smoothing of pain and reward.

Over a long period of time, smoking induces addiction. Drugs like heroin and morphine contain chemicals that create those similar feelings. Source:
http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20041027/smoking-cigarettes-affects-brain-like-heroin )

Check out the others works that make up the brain series so far. The works address: being present, caffeine, memory, alcohol, sleep and music. http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2012/02/brain-series.html

Regards,

Michelle 
Contemporary Artist



 Facebook Fan Page [facebook.com/hunterart]
 Twitter [@artcoholic]

Participating in CurateNYC at Rush Arts Gallery in Chelsea

Hello there,

I'm pleased to share with you my experience with CurateNYC. My brain painting "Don't You Remember" was among the 150 winning artworks out of over 1,500+ submissions. The postcard of the painting is on display at Rush Arts Gallery (526 W. 26th street Suite 311) in Chelsea. View my submission profile here on the CurateNYC website.

Haven't heard of CurateNYC? Well it's a program supported by New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Full Spectrum Experience, Inc. run by Brian Tate and Danny Simmons. 


Submissions were for NYC residents only and we were only allow to submit one piece of artwork. It was thanks to twitter that I learned about the opportunity...and impending deadline. So the on the last day of submissions, I completed by application and chose to include my painting on the brain and memory "Don't You Remember". About two weeks later, I received an email saying my piece was chosen for the group show.


The juried show was judged by:
Rashida Bumbray
Assistant Curator
The Kitchen, 

Denise Carvalho
Art Critic, Independent Curator & Scholar
DeniseCarvalho.com, 

Heng-Gil Han
Visual Arts Director & Curator
Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, New York
jcal.org


Shantrelle P. Lewis
Independent Curator & Educator
Director of Exhibitions & Public Programming
Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute
facebook.com/pages/Shantology


amani olu
Independent Curator & Writer
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Humble Arts Foundation
mrandmrsolu.com


Ed Patuto
Executive Director
Issue Project Room
issueprojectroom.org


Jose Ruiz
Artist & Independent Curator /
Founder
Furthermore
joseruizart.com


Sarah Schmerler
Critic, Educator & Curator
sarahschmerler.com


Adriana Teresa
Publisher & Editor
Visura Magazine
Co-Founder
FotoVisura & Visura Media
visuramagazine.com


Read the write up on HuffingtonPost "Curate NYC Unveils 150 Winning Works of Art"

Michelle Hunter showing her piece to Full Spectrun Experience, Inc and Rush Arts Gallery Director Brian Tate

Photos by Noah Xifr (www.facebook.com/noahxarts)