Skip to main content

2020 Neuroscience Art Contest

Artwork submitted by neuroscience majors to the 3rd annual Neuroscience Art Contest

The artwork below cannot be used or reproduced without written consent from the artists and/or the Brigham Young University Neuroscience Center.

1st Place: "A Stroke of Brilliance" by Emma Murdock

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
1st Place: "A Stroke of Brilliance" by Emma Murdock
Everyday we are constantly influenced by things around us. That information and stimulus is constantly being spread throughout our brain, interpreted, and then used to help us adapt to our surroundings. This vast diffusion of information can be shown through many things including our vasculature. Even the simplest details of our brain show the interconnecting webs that make us who we are. [Medium: Acrylic Paint, Dimensions: 27.75" x 22"]

2nd Place: "Efflorescence" by Dasani DelRosario

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
2nd Place: "Efflorescence" by Dasani DelRosario
I was inspired by the beauty and ethereal qualities of the human brain—complexity and specialization which can only be attributed to a divine creator. We are the gardeners of our own unique and beautiful flower gardens, in charge of the upkeep of our mental health. Everyone has different flowers which require different amounts of care and nutrients in order to bloom and thrive. [Medium: Digital Photoshop (by hand) Dimensions: 14" x 11"]

3rd Place: "Wired" by Shawna Lawlor

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
3rd Place: "Wired" by Shawna Lawlor
I was thinking of how our brain is “wired” to function in the awe-inspiring way it does and came up with the idea to create an image of the brain using wires. Using the wires to create a form was much more difficult than I imagined, but I had fun watching the pieces come together and take shape of what I love studying about. [Medium: Craft Wire, Dimensions: 14" x 11" x 12"]

Honorable Mention: "Cosmic Relief" by Celine Timpson

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
Honorable Mention: "Cosmic Relief" by Celine Timpson
Once upon a time I had a really great neurobiology professor (Professor Scott Steffensen) who got me really excited about the brain; one time he showed us a picture of all these beautiful neurons stained, and to me it looked like everything space. So, I put neurons with my tiny astronauts in space. There are some little hidden gems if you look closely. You’ll be able to see microglial cells, astrocytes, different types of neurons, hippocampus (Latin for seahorse) and the chemical structures for GABA and dopamine (neurotransmitters). The brain is beautiful and reminds us we are made of stars. [Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas, Dimensions: 24" x 16"]

Honorable Mention: "Boundless" by Leslie Neville

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
Honorable Mention: "Boundless" by Leslie Neville
In my neuroanatomy class this semester, I’ve learned that the brain is truly as complex as the galaxies and universal laws by which it is governed. I feel this painting conveys the infinite capacity and potential housed within the finite chambers of the mind. [Medium: Watercolor printed on matte Dimensions: 11.5" x 12.5"]

"The Crown of Life" by Effie Felsted

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
"The Crown of Life" by Effie Felsted
The brain is the essence of what we do. It commands, it decides, it loves, it despises, and it makes us become who we are. This piece depicts the role of the brain as the king of the body. All serves the brain. It’s done in a way that will hopefully bring the viewer introspection on all that happens within this fascinating organ, and ponder how we, as the brain, are using this power. The background design resembles firing neurons, where much is happening but is hardly noticed. The white neurons form a crown around the brain, the king. It’s kind of a play on words since our brain lies beneath the crown of our head. [Medium: Watercolor and gel pen, Dimensions: 10" x 9"]

"Appearance of Normalcy" by Mikayla Frackowiak

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
"Appearance of Normalcy" by Mikayla Frackowiak
About a year and a half ago, I began to suffer from some neurological issues that no doctor could name, diagnose or cure. I went through various neurological exams, MRIs included, and everything came back normal, though both I and the doctors would agree that something was wrong. I tried to make this painting look like a normal brain through the perspective of an MRI scan and use the words underneath the tears to represent the thoughts and feelings someone has when everything looks normal physically but they are still suffering from some (neurological) problem. [Medium: Acrylic paint, Dimensions: 14" x 11"]

"Fingerprint of my Mind" by Julie Pace

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
"Fingerprint of my Mind" by Julie Pace
I love the brain. It is elegant and complex. It forms the basis for every individual. So, I thought about how unique each individual is, and I realized that it can be attributed to the brain. Just like our fingerprints differentiate us, so do our brains. My brain is a fingerprint of my mind. [Medium: Linoleum block printing, Dimensions: 10" x 8"]

"Abstract Neurons" by Matt Allen

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
"Abstract Neurons" by Matt Allen
I have always found stains of neurons with their many intricate synapses and branches to be quite captivating. I tried to include this theme of intricate connections in my piece. Further, I work in a research lab where we use electro-physiology to measure the strength of neural connections. Neuroscience explains that often the brain uses neural mapping (many different neurons firing at different rates throughout the brain that synthesize into a meaningful whole) to perceive stimuli. I attempted to show this variation by using different thickness of mark making that when isolated may not mean much, but when observed together sends a message. Further, I chose to do my piece in black and white because we know that color is not a part of objective reality but is rather subjectively generated during the visual processes in the brain. Essentially, I tried to convey this incredibly and sometimes elusive idea of how the brain takes in stimulus and produces our conscious experience in this piece. [Medium: Ink and Paper, Dimensions: 11" x 15"]

"L'esprit Trépidant" by Alyssa Carroll

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
"L'esprit Trépidant" by Alyssa Carroll
I’ve always been intrigued by the different functions of the brain and how these functions are localized to particular areas. I feel like my mind is going 1000 miles per hour at times and that is what inspired me to add bold colors and lines throughout the brain. Everyone has unique personalities and attributes that make them so unique, but this painting is what I feel like my brain looks like with my unique personality and talents. [Medium: Digitally drawn (iPad, Apple Pencil, Procreate app), Dimensions: 20" x 16"]

"Eye Thought I Knew" by Maddison Tenney

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
"Eye Thought I Knew" by Maddison Tenney
I had just taken my third exam in my Intro to Neuroscience class, and I bombed it! I was so sad because I had studied so hard, so I went home and drew out all the structures I had studied. To this day the eye, brain, and neurons have stuck with me and continue to amaze me! [Medium: Watercolor and Ink, Dimensions: 10" x 7"]

"Hope Through Motion" by Hannah Stadler

March 18, 2020 10:47 AM
"Hope Through Motion" by Hannah Stadler
This piece of artwork is a small dedication to all the amazing people I know who suffer from rare neuro autoimmune disorders. One minute their life is normal, the next they are in a coma for two weeks and have lost all ability to move, speak, or perform basic human functions on their own. It’s devastating and life changing. However, these people go back to work, to school, while doing daily therapy on the side to fight to gain back their previous functions. The ability to move a finger, move a toe, or go to the bathroom on their own is a huge victory—and this I say “Hope Through Motion” because the hope to move again is life giving. [Medium: Watercolor Dimensions: 11" x 11"]

"Fish out of Water" by Shannon Bairett

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
"Fish out of Water" by Shannon Bairett
When I was in AP Biology in high school, I read about the nervous systems of jellyfish and similar organisms. They were described as simple “nerve nets”. I painted this piece partly because I find humor in the similar shapes of the human CNS and Portuguese Man O’War… but also because the superficial comparison got me thinking about the fascinating development of nervous system complexity through the eons, from a handful of interconnected nerves to the miracle of the human brain. [Medium: Watercolor and Acrylic Dimensions: 9" x 12"]

"Salt" by Emma Steimle

March 18, 2020 10:47 AM
"Salt" by Emma Steimle
With my piece I wanted to convey the beauty and complexity that neuroscience entails, from the intricate webbing and mapping of neurons to the folds in the brain and how all of these things are crucial in determining how we think and experience life as a whole. I think it is this complexity and the fact that there is still so much yet to discover and understand that make neuroscience so beautiful and intriguing. [Medium: acrylic, watercolors, and salt Dimensions: 18.5'' x 15'']

"Me" by Colton Sheperd

March 18, 2020 10:47 AM
"Me" by Colton Sheperd
The nervous system controls our body and allows us to think, reason, and be who we are—it is the physical representation of the spirit. This painting reminds us that we are more than people; we are children of God with souls and amazing design. [Medium: Watercolor Dimensions: 9" x 12"]

"Perceptions" by Mark Feistl

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
"Perceptions" by Mark Feistl
We may look similar, but we perceive our environment differently. Though our brains and nervous systems may be stimulated by like impulses, we, by nature or nurture, may perceive only some select aspects. Thus, with this hopeful drawing, I attempted to express that we all make sense of our lives in superficially contrasting yet, at a closer look, encouragingly comparable ways. Understanding that our brains' calculations somehow appear to have a common denominator is what appeals most to me within neuroscience. [Medium: Regular paper and crayons, Dimensions: 8.5" x 11"]

"You Are What You Synapse" by Maci Jacobson

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
"You Are What You Synapse" by Maci Jacobson
“You Are What You Synapse” was inspired by my interest in neuro-plasticity. Our synapses can change based off our life experiences. Those synaptic changes can then affect how we remember and experience life. Between long-term potentiation and long-term depression, we truly are just an expression of billions of synapses. [Medium: Gum-wrappers, Dimensions: 16" x 13.5"]

"Bottom Up" by Eli Baughn

March 18, 2020 10:55 AM
"Bottom Up" by Eli Baughn
The piece is up to the viewer’s interpretation. My personal inspiration was to depict action potentials overpowering the cortex, signaling many different types of deficits as a result of robust bottom up signals. [Medium: Pen and Paper, Dimensions: 11" x 11"]
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=