X-ray Drawings / 3D medical imaging
When I first started drawing my skeleton in the early 1990’s, I used my own x-rays as source material. X-rays have a shadowy and mysterious beauty, but I began to feel limited by their straightforward, back-to-front point of view. My skeleton was too complicated for me to imagine; I needed to see what it looked like in the dynamic poses I wanted to draw.
I learned about an exciting new technology, spiral CT scan with 3D rendering – and in 2000, I was able to have myself scanned, at NYU Langone Medical Center – for purely artistic purposes. (My huge appreciation for those at NYULMC who helped to make this possible, and for the many others who have helped me along the way, is expressed in more detail on the Thanks page.) These scan images have served as a key information resource in the creation of my Visible Skeleton series. Working with the scan images on computer screen in the 3D Imaging Lab at NYULMC, I can view my skeleton from any angle, rotating and tilting it to match the movements or poses I want to draw.
In 2008, as the technology became even more amazing, I had a second 3D CT scan. In six seconds, the scanner took over a thousand ‘slice’ pictures of my torso, capturing details as small as .75 millimeters. We even managed to include my hands in the picture.
The level of detail in the new scan is extraordinary. In drawing from it I’m taking my cues from the scan itself, choosing images that strike me as especially beautiful, interesting, or revealing of some aspect of inner body experience.
And for the first time, I’m making ‘X-ray drawings’ from the scan images themselves. These luminous new drawings (like the one at the top of this page) combine the shadowy black-and-white look of an x-ray with the three-dimensionality and detail of the 3D scan, the sense of many layers, and the relationship of inside to out. This is a brand new medium and I’m excited to see where I can take it.