When I was a child, I wanted a terrarium, a rock tumbling kit and a microscope. I got the terrarium in a cereal box and a geologist friend gave me a rock tumbler, but I never got a microscope. That is until I partnered with the University of South Carolina’s Marine Biology program in 2014 to create an art exhibition based on scientific water samples I collected of phytoplankton from Darrell Creek in Mount Pleasant and Quinine Hill Lake in Columbia, SC.

I don’t know that I will ever own a microscope, but my vision for combining art and science continues to be a passion of mine and now I’m taking my scientific research and art experience into the classroom to get scientists interested in partnering with artists and getting artists interested in natural and physical science.

This first body of work in the series was completed in 2016 after 2 years of sampling and research and the second set of images was started in 2018.  These images dig deep into the natural world by amplifying the shapes found in nature through color, movement and line. This exhibition blends my love of science with art and explores the various microcosms and organisms among flora, fauna and atmosphere.

Contact 

Alicia Leeke 803-429-5456
info@alicialeeke.com