Between Science and Art: The X-Ray Photographs of Judith K. McMillan February 13 to June 6, 2004 Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature, University of Richmond Museums On February 13 the Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature, University of Richmond Museums, opens Between Science and Art: The X-Ray Photographs of Judith K. McMillan. Using an X-ray machine as her camera, contemporary Ohio artist Judith K. McMillan (American, born 1945) photographs the internal structures of plants, revealing the beauty of natural forms invisible to the human eye. Fascinated by natural cycles, the artist uses specimens of plant, as well as insect, material collected throughout the seasons. Combining a documentary style with fanciful compositions, McMillan’s images exist in a realm between science and art. Her unique depictions of nature have been described as simultaneously ephemeral and eerie. What are thought of as familiar forms, such as magnolia blooms or fern leaves, are transformed in her X-ray photographs in revealing and unexpected ways.
McMillan used an X-ray machine at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History to make these photographs. After a period of experimentation, she began creating photograms on film, that is, life-sized depictions of the botanical material that she placed in the machine. Through methodical tests she determined the level of radiation that allowed the X-ray film to function as photographic negatives that could be used to make the final photographs. McMillan lightly toned the prints to produce warm and cool tones that add dimensionality through overlapping layers. The artist chooses her subjects for their hidden forms, thereby rendering common plants and trees, such as dogwood branches or rose blooms, into uncommon imagery. Her X-ray technique exposes the unseen interior structures of the plants. For example, her photograph of pitcher plant pods reveals insects captured inside its trap-like pods, and another image of Japanese hornbeam seedpods shows the winged fruits that will be released in the spring. Organized and circulated by The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the exhibition at the Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature, University of Richmond Museums, is made possible in part with the generous support of the University’s Cultural Affairs Committee. More information can be found about McMillan on her website www.judithkmcmillan.com.