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FAIRBANKS — Scientific art? Artistic science?

Art and science together is a combination some might balk at, like chocolate syrup and orange juice, or pizza and whip cream. But one artist and a group of scientists interested in both art and science, specifically marine science with focus on the Arctic Ocean and abstract painting, say they’ve found a way not only to marry two loves they share — art and science — but also to present them in a way that could make two seemingly polar opposite subjects seem closely and intrinsically connected.

“Both art and science are very creative, very visual,” said painter Susan Farnham, who happens to also be a geologist. “I don’t think they are opposite at all.”

Farnham, who spent years working as a geologist before earning a master of fine arts degree from Central Washington University and studying under local painter Kes Woodward — “He was such a great mentor” — recently contributed in a collaborative art exhibit depicting the diverse life and landscape of the Arctic Ocean. She created 24 paintings inspired by photographs taken by researchers. Both paintings and photographs will be on display at the Well Street Art Gallery throughout the month.

“We’re excited about the project and to have the opportunity to have some artistic license besides the science, and have the freedom to find ways to connect science with the public,” said researcher Bodi Bluhm, one of the researchers from the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Fairbanks who contributed to the work.

How it started

Bluhm and fellow UAF researcher Rolf Gradinger are involved in a research program called The Census of Marine Life, which is a global network of researchers from more than 80 nations working together on a 10-year scientific initiative assessing the diversity, distribution and abundance of marine life. Due to location and personal and scientific interest, Bluhm and her colleague work in the branch that focuses on Arctic marine life and landscape, which she says adds an interesting component to the program’s motto, “Making Ocean Life Count.”

“There are 14 field projects, and we are involved in the one in the Arctic Ocean,” Bluhm explained, noting the working conditions while in the field are not the same as those in other marine climates. “I am always amazed by the diversity of life out there, the form, shape, color of life itself, it is beautiful, but sometimes when you’re out there in such low temperatures, it is a challenge.”

Bluhm, who has spent more than a decade in various parts of the Arctic, called the landscape and environment “harsh but very special.”

She and her colleagues, while doing their main research, tacked on a side project and began using photography to document their findings. It was then they realized they were on to something.

“’We realized people are really interested in the photographs of the Arctic critters, so we contacted Susan to make a logo for our project,” she recalled.

That was more than two years ago, and there now exists not only a logo but also a collection of artwork that Bluhm and Farnham agreed speaks to both scientific and artistic minds.

“She’s done such a great job. This is a great marriage,” Bluhm said. “Many of our projects are not outreach oriented but this one is. This is a great way to attract attention to the Arctic.”

Artistic science

“I’ve always been interested in marine life, and I’ve assisted on marine biology research jobs, so I’ve been on the science side of things,” Farnham said.

But the geologist-turned-painter also has an artistic side, which flourished when she saw the photographs contributed by Shawn Harper, Rolf Gradinger, Kevin Raskoff, Russ Hopcroft and Bluhm for the project.

“All these critters, the transparencies, the quality of the water and the ice, they have a very wonderful visual aspect,” she said. “All of the design elements in this unusual world under the sea are just wonderful for making art.”

The photographs chosen for inclusion purposely branch beyond “the typical polar bear or seal pictures” often considered classic representations of Arctic life. Bluhm said scientists wanted to show what variety is really out there. Arctic cod fish, Red anemone, sea stars, Paraeuchaeta barbata and other colorful, interesting, dynamic creatures are displayed, joined by one photograph of a polar bear.

“One absolute goal is to show people some of these creatures they aren’t familiar with, so they can see that science can be about beauty and form,” Bluhm said.

Farnham’s hand took those colorful, raw, sharp images and created depictions she said “exist somewhere between representation and abstraction.”

“In the translation, I did not make them purely representational. They’re narrative and abstract, but they are recognizable creatures,” she said.

Both Bluhm and Farnham noted one painting in particular, “Pancake Ice and Arctic Cod,” as a perfect representation of the translation that occurred when the images went from photograph to canvas. The beginning photo, taken by Shawn Harper, shows four slightly rounded Arctic cod swimming in the distance, surrounded by deep blue sea and textures of the ice just above them. The painting, on the other hand, is alive with color — pastel shades of pink, lavender and green, along with white and blue, and interesting uses of shape and texture — revealing countless fish creatures that seem alive on the canvas. Farnham’s caption for the painting states “the composition describes how the cod lurk just beneath the ice where they feed on the upwelling of microscopic plants and animals. The ice has formed into typical pancake shapes of a freezing ocean. In my painting the two shapes of fish and ice become inseparable, one becoming the other. The transparency of the ice reveals the fish and recedes back into space toward the distant horizon depicting the vastness of the Arctic Ocean.”

Bluhm, having witnessed that lurking and studied the cod’s behavior, said Farnham was spot-on and that the painting is among her favorites.

“She’s really showing the close relationship between the Arctic cod and the ice, they live so closely, and you can see that,” she said. “The ice almost merges with the fish. The fish in nature is really well represented.”

Other creatures, such as Arctic plankton and jellyfish, even the ice itself, are represented with accuracy that is both erratic and beautiful, Bluhm said.

Appreciation of the Arctic

Both Bluhm and Farnham noted the culmination of the project came at a perfect time: in the middle of the International Polar Year. An international scientific program focused on the Arctic and Antarctic, the IPY effort will study, analyze and draw attention to these regions from March 2007 through March 2009. It has been used to contribute to public awareness of climate change issues, further heightened by recent energy crises and the fear of endangerment of polar bears, but Bluhm said she hopes the use of art can highlight other aspects of the Arctic, like the diversity and vibrancy of life within it.

“With the International Polar Year, there is more interest in the Arctic life and issues, but we hope to contribute to what information is available,” Bluhm said. “We’re trying to focus on other fauna people are not usually aware of.”

According to the IPY informational Web site, IPY is organized through the International Council for Science and the World Meteorological Organization. The current cycle is actually the fourth polar year, following those in 1882-23, 1932-33, and 1957-58. In order to have full and equal coverage of both the Arctic and the Antarctic, the current time period covers two full annual cycles from March 2007 to March 2009 and will involve over 200 projects, with thousands of scientists from over 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics.

“It is considered an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate, follow, and get involved with, cutting edge science in real-time,” the Web site states.

Farnham said while she has spent limited time in Arctic regions, although not much farther north of Nome, and done field work near Kodiak through UAF’s oil spill recovery program years ago, she has not physically experienced the landscape that birthed the creatures in her paintings. Bluhm assured, however, the representations were accurate, at least as “accurate” as abstract art can be considered to be. That accuracy suggests the exhibit has overcome its biggest hurdle: appealing to the diverse audience it will likely face.

“An audience in Alaska is interesting situation because you have this group of Native individuals who are living close to or living on these types of fauna and have a great knowledge of what lives there,” Bluhm explained. “But then in areas like Fairbanks or Anchorage, for great reason, you have people who have very little concept of what is actually out there.”

She feels the exhibit will appeal to both sides of that “very varied and broad” audience.

Farnham said she hopes also to appeal to both sides of another presumed spectrum: the Art vs. Science spectrum.

“I hope the artist will be excited about it, and the marine scientist will be excited about it,” she said. “Especially if they’ve never thought about art, only been interested in the sciences, I hope they find appreciation for the artistic side, and vice versa.”

If art and science can make a happy marriage, maybe there’s still hope for chocolate syrup and orange juice. Bring a spoon to stir.

Contact Features Editor Erica Goff at 459-7523.