When I saw the open call for Soulard's gallery exhibition "Chasing the Light", I knew exactly what my subject was going to be: Light Microscopy.

What could be a better representation of the way light affects perception than a world in which everything we see relies on our ability to control light?

Light Microscopy

When people think of microscopes, what comes to their mind is usually a compound microscope. On this type of microscope, a thin, often transparent, specimen is put on a glass slide and illuminated from a light source at the bottom of the microscope. The resulting images have a white-yellowish bright background. Suitably, this technique is called bright field.

Color is scarce when observing the microscopic world. Several techniques have been developed to allow us to see our subjects in increased contrast or saturated colors. Here are some examples of pictures I have taken:

The Idea

After seeing that, one might ask: which one of these images represents the real organisms? Well, none of them! We will always be at the mercy of lenses and equipment in order to be able to see the microscopic world. Every technique comes with its own limitations.

To explore this concept, my plan is to make at least 2 paintings depicting the same subject under different illumination techniques. To guarantee accuracy in the way light behaves, I will be taking reference pictures myself using my Olympus BH2 microscope.

What's Next

The following newsletters will discuss the steps necessary for the completion of this artwork:

• Setting up different illumination techniques - 22/11

• Specimen collection and preparation -

• Photographing specimens

• Making paintings based on the photographs

• Results

A new menu item called "Explore" will be available on my website soon. There you will be able to see some photomicrography, the gear I use and a blog where I will be posting about microscopy, nature and art.

If you have any questions, feel free to send an e-mail to contact@maxflores.art.

See you next week!

References

• Types of Microscopes: https://www.microscopeworld.com/blog/types-of-microscopes/

• What is Brightfield: https://evidentscientific.com/en/insights/what-is-brightfield-microscopy

• Magnification: https://evidentscientific.com/en/microscope-resource/knowledge-hub/anatomy/magnification

• Rheinberg Illumination: https://evidentscientific.com/en/microscope-resource/knowledge-hub/techniques/rheinberg

• Darkfield: https://evidentscientific.com/en/insights/what-is-darkfield-microscopy

• Polarized Light: https://www.microscopyu.com/techniques/polarized-light/polarized-light-microscopy

• Staining: https://www.microscopeworld.com/microscopy-staining-information/