I decided to use the ink drawing methods shown to our class by Daniela Rivera. To apply the ink I used variations on the ink dripping and blowing technique as well as using a twig and sponge. I explored how different ways of applying water then ink or ink then water affected the resulting design and found that when ink was put on already wet paper, it created a round radiating blob that kind of resembled prion infected brain tissue. I continued to experiment until I found a satisfying way to illustrate prions in the way I wanted.
In my piece I wanted to show the decay from PrPC’s alpha helices to PrPSc’s beta sheets. Using the straw, twig, and sponge I was able to create a lot of different expressive marks to visualize the changes brought about by prions. On the right edge of the painting I drew alpha helices and more organized “blobs” representing healthy brain tissue. Toward the middle it starts to become less organized and a bit chaotic, leading to the right side which shows the directional beta sheets that PrPSc’s misfolding results in. In addition the trying to represent prions, I also wanted to create an aesthetically pleasing work that on its own, with no context, would be able to show a story of transformation in some way.