NEW #Painting : The #Brain and Recoil Sounds
Hey you!
How do you react when you hear an unpleasant sound? For example:
- Nails on a chalkboard
- Child crying at a high pitch
- Metal against glass
- Brakes screeching
We usually recoil, maybe even cover our ears. The sounds are so sensitive to us that we physically try to protect ourselves. Well, allow me to introduce my latest brain painting “Cacophony. ” The word cacophony means “a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.” Thanks to a good friend for the name suggestion!
The new painting has also been featured on the Scientific American blog!!
http://ift.tt/1mfw1SX
Cacophony
20″ x 24″
Acrylic on Canvas |
** NOTE: No chalk was used in the making of this painting. It’s all acrylic paint. Cool huh 🙂
There was an interesting study published in the Journal of Neuroscience conducted by Newcastle University scientists with funding from the Wellcome Trust. The study, “Features versus Feelings: Dissociable Representations of the Acoustic Features and Valence of Aversive Sounds,” looked at the interaction between our amygdala (our emotion area of our brains) and our auditory cortex.
I came across this and other articles that referenced this study on recoil sounds published in The Journal of Neuroscience (http://ift.tt/1r1IatI). It inspired the painting.
Pink is the amygdala and it plays a large part in our processing of emotions
Blue is the auditory cortex
Yellow is the area of the auditory cortex that handles gauging frequencies. Apparently, sound vibrations of 2,000 to 5,000 Hz are considered to be unpleasant
The article came up with a top 10 list of unpleasant sounds from their research. I included a few of them in the painting, like:
1. Knife on a bottle
2. Chalk on a blackboard
3. Nails on a blackboard
4. Female scream
5. Brakes on a cycle squealing
6. Baby crying
Are there other sounds (PG) that make you cringe?
As always feedback is welcome!! I would love to know your thoughts and recommendations on other brain topics of interest!
IN PROGRESS PHOTOS:
2014 ©Michelle Hunter |
2014 ©Michelle Hunter |
2014 ©Michelle Hunter |
2014 ©Michelle Hunter |
2014 ©Michelle Hunter |
2014 ©Michelle Hunter |
2014 ©Michelle Hunter |
2014 ©Michelle Hunter |
2014 ©Michelle Hunter |
In the below photo, I took a picture of myself holding a pen (because I didn’t have chalk) so I can use the photo as reference for painting my hand as you see it in the final painting.
2014 ©Michelle Hunter |
2014 ©Michelle Hunter |
LinkedIn [http://ift.tt/TI7Kjy]
via Blogger http://ift.tt/1r1D7cy
Wonderful time at the #Neuromarketing World Forum in New York! #sciart
Greetings!
Michelle Hunter by her work “The Brain and Smoking – Part 1” at the Neuromarketing World Forum Conference in New York City |
A couple of months ago I was contacted by the lovely Carla Nagel who is the Executive Director or the Neuromarketing Science & Business Association (NMSBA). They were having a conference in New York and she came across my work online as asked if I would be interested in attending and showing my work. Of course I said Yes!
Below are some images from the conference which took place in March. A couple of works of mine from the Brain Series were included on stage with the presenters and other paintings and prints were laid out in the sponsor area.
It was so cool to talk brains with neuroscientists and marketers interest in the brain! Thank you Carla for the opportunity, Elyte for helping me get set up and the rest of the NMSBA staff in attendance. It was a great experience!
Location: Hudson Theater on W 44th street A New York City Landmark
Artwork has been set up on stage |
Carl Marci, Chief Science Officer, Innerscope Research introducing the opening panel |
Ale Smidts Professor of Marketing Research, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University talking about “How well do neural focus groups predict choice?” |
Michelle Hunter’s brain art table at the Neuromarketing World Forum Conference in New York |
Caroline Winnett, BrandNeuro during her presentation on “The Future of Neuro” |
Antonio Damasio Professor of Neuroscience, University of Southern California delivering the keynote address on “Emotions, Feelings and Decisions” |
Antonio Damasio Professor of Neuroscience, University of Southern California during his presentation |
Antonio Damasio Professor of Neuroscience, University of Southern California during his presentation |
Michelle Hunter with Antonio Damasio Professor of Neuroscience, University of Southern California in front of Michelle’s painting “Caffeine Headache” |
I welcome opportunities so share the Brain Series with an audience. Know of any opportunities I should consider? Shoot me a note via any of the methods below!
via Blogger http://ift.tt/1rDfzsp
New #Painting! The #brain and negative vs positive thoughts #sciart
Let’s test this…You do NOT want to read the rest of this post….
There are several interesting things that happen to the brain when we’re faced or are thinking about negative versus positive thoughts. We’ll get to that in a bit within this post and you are welcome to add your thoughts to the comments section.
Cognitive Dissonance
20″ x 20″
Acrylic on Canvas
2013 ©Michelle Hunter
|
When I first started the painting, I just intended to have the letters work into each other, like “Good” is connected to the word “Should” through the common letter “o.” Then I started thinking about that a little more. Usually when we’re children, it seems like we’re always told not to do something. While that was probably in our own best interest so we don’t break something or don’t get hurt, there is probably a more constructive way to get the message across. As noted at the beginning of the post, what are you most likely to do when you are told not to do something – you want to do it! Why is that you shouldn’t? With that in mind, I formed the letters as building blocks that children usually play with. Perhaps instead of saying “Don’t do ____[Fill in the blank]_____]” a request can be framed as “How about you do this instead, and this is why.…” or “This is really dangerous because….”
DETAIL – Cognitive Dissonance
20″ x 20″
Acrylic on Canvas
2013 ©Michelle Hunter
|
Another aspect is that it’s easier for the brain to process positive thoughts versus negative. For some people, their minds actually ignore the negative leaving them with just positive or neutral thoughts.
Now I’m sure you don’t want to share this post with one other person right?
Happy thinking!
Sources:
http://ift.tt/iI5Bk2Cognitive_dissonance
http://ift.tt/hFWySejames-clear/positive-thinking_b_3512202.html
http://ift.tt/k2OXzthealth-15214080
via Blogger http://ift.tt/1kbNRBD
100 yrs of smoking studies @PopSci | #Brain & #Smoking paintings | @JAMA_current
There was an article published recently on the Popular Science blog marking 100 years of studies done/reported on regarding the health implications of smoking.[1]
While it has been proven that smoking can be a cause of lung cancer, what is it that makes it hard to quit and how does smoking impact those around you, neurologically?
Well those are the questions that prompted two paintings in my ongoing Brain Series, an image which is included at the beginning of this blog post. Check out the links to those respective blog posts to see how smoking impacts the brain of the first and secondhand smoker.
Regards,
Michelle
[1] “100 Years of Smoking in Popular Sciance” Diep, Francis, http://www.popsci.com/article/science/100-years-smoking-studies-popular-science, January 10, 2014
via Blogger http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2014/01/100-yrs-of-smoking-studies-popsci-brain.html
World #Stroke Day! You and your #brain
While the next painting in my brain series will be on the brain and stroke, I wanted to use this post to help bring awareness to the topic.
Do you know what a stroke (aka “Brain attack”) is?
It’s when blood flow is cut off to any portion of the brain. The brain is a marvelous organ that can suffer great harm if it’s not properly taken cared of. So…
How can one prevent a stroke?
Majority of strokes can be prevented! Consult your healthcare professional to determine what your risk factors may be. In addition, consider:
- Do you monitor your diet? Are you aware of how many fatty foods you may be consuming?
- Do you stay active? Exercise regularly to help keep the blood flowing?
- Are you a smoker? It can DOUBLE your risk of a stroke.
- Do you consume more than 2 alcoholic drinks a day? Strokes have been tied to alcohol consumption.
- When was the last time your blood pressure was measured? High blood pressure is a strong risk factor and should be regularly monitored.
- Do you know whether your heartbeat is normal or now? Work with your doctor if you have an irregular heartbeat.
- What’s your cholesterol level? It should be checked by your doctor also. What is cholesterol? When checking your blood, it’s a fatty substance that is not only made by the body but can also come in food. Clogged arteries can a side effect of high cholesterol.
Experiencing a stroke can have devastating results from being in a vegetative state or loosing mobility or the ability to speak.
I look forward to exploring more on this with you. In the meantime, here are a couple of links to help you learn more:
“Stroke Prevention” http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=PREVENT
“Anatomy of the brain” http://www.uhnj.org/stroke/anatomy.htm
“Effects of a Stroke” http://www.ama-assn.org//ama/pub/physician-resources/patient-education-materials/atlas-of-human-body/brain-effects-stroke.page
Here’s to YOUR brain health!
Michelle
via Blogger http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2013/10/world-stroke-day-you-and-your-brain.html
World Suicide Prevention Day – The #Brain and Serotonin #sciart
Regards,
Michelle Hunter
Contemporary Artist
Tel: (646) 504-5034
www.hunterart.com
info@hunterart.com
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Contact me to commission a painting or drawing (info@hunterart.com / 646-504-5034)
The Brain Series of Paintings, so far: http://hunterart.blogspot.com/p/brain-paintings.html
Purchase prints to fit your space here: http://www.hunterart.imagekind.com
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2: “NPR The End of Life: Biology of Suicide” http://www.npr.org/programs/death/980429.death.html April 29, 1998
via Blogger http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2013/09/world-suicide-prevention-day-brain-and.html
New Painting on the Brain and the Visual Cortex
Brace yourselves for some eye catching work 🙂
Focusing on our brain and the visual cortex, I introduce you to:
Got dots?
Our visual cortex is located at the back of our brains and covers both left and right hemispheres. By knowing just that bit of information, I wanted the the angle of the head to be 3/4 profile from the back. I felt that if it was a full view from the back, it may be hard to know how much area the visual cortex covers. In this detail below, you’ll see that the visual cortex area of the brain is highlighted with this dense area of reddish dots.
The idea for how to paint this work seemed pretty straight forward…as a color blind test! I couldn’t think of a vision painting without connecting it to a vision test of all things. As you can imagine, the painting became a bit hard at times to look at while creating it. You can view some in progress pics and video below.
While there are different types of color blindness and different types of tests for it, I chose to do the painting in the style of the Ishihara Color Vision Charts common for red-green color blindness. Not only are these tests useful, I personally find them fun to do; it’s like exercise for our eyes (or at least how I thought of it).
(c) Michelle Hunter |
(c) Michelle Hunter |
(c) Michelle Hunter |
(c) Michelle Hunter |
(c) Michelle Hunter |
Want to learn more about how our visual cortex works? Visit the Wikipedia on the topic here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_cortex
How about the Ishihara Color Vision Charts? Read more about them here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_perception_test
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SEE the whole Brain Series so far!!! Check out this particular blog post that will be updated with each completed brain painting! http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2012/02/brain-series.html
‘Til next time!
Regards,
Tel: (646) 504-5034
New Brain Painting: Brain Rhythm | 24"x24" | Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
(c) Michelle Hunter 2011
Brain Rhythm
24″x24″
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
|
(c) Michelle Hunter 2011
Brain Rhythm [Detail] |
The concept in general was to paint what parts of the brain are most active when it comes to music.There are areas both in the outer cortex and inner brain that are connected to our experience of music. For this painting, I focused on the outer area:
Prefrontal Cortex (yellow): When you are listening to music, ever have an experience where something didn’t “sound right”? Perhaps you feel that a beat was missed.
After a few bars of music, you begin expecting a certain pattern to repeat correct? Thank your prefrontal cortex’s ability to sense when something is off.
Motor Cortex (green): Here controls when you are tapping your foot and bopping your head. It’s an especially important area of the brain if you are a musician as you need the ability to control time movements.
Sensory Cortex (purple): Which string to strum on a guitar, keys on a piano, maneuvering a violin etc requires an acute sense of touch.
Auditory Cortex (blue): This area of the brain becomes alive when we hear music. It holds information pertaining to pitch and tones.
Visual Cortex (pink): Involving sight when reading music and watching performers. If you are like me and are not a musician but catch yourself imagining yourself on stage, the visual cortex helps get your imagination flowing.
Tell me what you think…don’t be shy 🙂
Michelle Hunter
info@hunterart.com
http://www.facebook.com/hunterart
Hunterart Line: 646-504-5034
Twitter: Artcoholic
Painting 1: Past, Present, Future or Dreaming
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-painting-which-image-matches-your.html
Painting 2: Caffeine Headache
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2010/10/caffeine-headache.html
Painting 3: Don’t You Remember?
Work in Progress Shots: Brain and Music, 24" x 24" Acrylic on Canvas
Hello everyone,
It’s been some time since the last painting update but I haven’t been idle. Below I would like you to see progress pics of my upcoming painting on the Brain and Music.
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #3 |
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #1 |
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #2 |
The composition is a speaker where within it is the brain and sheet music.
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #4 |
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #6 |
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #5 |
Within the brain will be sections that are most active when either listening or playing music. Those sections will be highlighted with different colors and explained in the next blog post when the painting is completed.
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #7 |
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #8 |
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #9 |
Around the brain will be sheet music. The notes themselves are pretty random and aren’t from any particular song. The sheet music is wavy which is meant to show the flow of music and help draw the viewer into the painting.
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #10 |
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #11 |
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #12 |
On top of all the elements within the speaker will be the mesh/grill. It’ll cover the entire painting. Lots and lots and lots of little circles.
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #13 |
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #14 |
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #15 |
Because of all those circles, completing the painting has taken longer than expected. But I think it’ll be pretty damn cool once it’s done. Stay tuned!
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #16 |
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #17 |
(c) Michelle Hunter Brain & Music WIP #18 |
Michelle