The challenge: create an eye-catching promotional image for Neuronex, part of the National Science Foundation's Next Generation Network for Neuroscience Program made up of a team of international scientists. The group focuses on 4 key methodologies to understand the brain; electrophysiology, neural modelling, genetic transcription, and cellular neuronal signaling.

Genetic information is organized into a packed coil called chromatin. Chromatin remodelers attach to DNA and re-organizes how the genetic information is packaged, without changing the information contained in the DNA sequence. Seen above is the chromatin remodeler SWI/SNF interacting with a strand of DNA, referenced from the Protein Data Bank https://www.rcsb.org/structure/6TDA. Image © Kelly Bullock Art, 2020.

This image was created as the back cover for the scientific magazine The Dorsal Column, founded by graduate students at the University of Western Ontario.

The clients' research article demonstrated the role of the lateral prefrontal cortex in working memory during naturalistic navigation. Working memory is the ability of primates to manipulate and hold mental representations used to guide behavior.

This cover image mockup was designed to showcase the article's main story by demonstrating the mechanism of action of ketamine on the prefrontal cortex. In the image, the ketamine 'turns off' the working memory activity like a light.

The library, a visual analogy of working memory, shows books flying off the shelves and re-organizing dynamically. Where the ketamine attaches to it's NMDAR receptor, the activity is stymied.

In some cases, patients with epilepsy are implanted with an array of electrodes called an electrocorticograph (ECoG) array. This array, which sits under the skull on the surface of the brain, allows clinicians to identify the focus of the epilepsy prior to surgery. These same arrays, with the consent of the patient, give scientists the opportunity to record brain activity with a high level of resolution.

This figure is a result of collaboration with two researchers at Western University and the Salk Institute to showcase a novel observation about cortical wave propagation.

“Spontaneous Traveling Cortical Waves Gate Perception in Awake Behaving Primates.” Zachary Davis et al. 2019 (Preprint)

Astrocyte fine art prints available.

Show off your love of science with a beautiful print to hang in your office. Featured at the 2019 Society for Neuroscience Art of Neuroscience Exhibit in Chicago.

Pyramidal Neuron fine art prints available.

Giclee fine art prints on Hahnemuehle Photo Rag rated for 200 years fade resistance.

This visual—inspired by the 1992 paper by Mel Goodale and David Milner – showcases the two visual streams hypothesis, a model of visual processing in which visual information is partitioned into two interconnected pathways. The dorsal stream runs along the top of the brain and parses spatial information, while the ventral stream traverses the bottom of the brain and processes object identity and characteristics.

The Challenge: Create a stunning editorial image showcasing the gradient of interneuron populations across the cortex. Changes in the Proportion of Inhibitory Interneuron Types from Sensory to Executive Areas of the Primate Neocortex: Implications for the Origins of Working Memory Representations. Santiago Torres-Gomez ST et al. 2020.

The outcome: This cover design is featured on the cover of the Cerebral Cortex, Volume 30, Issue 8, August 2020.

How it’s done: The macaque brain was modelled in 3D and the inter neuron populations were plotted on the surface of the brain. The realistic brain shows the sensory encoding, and the cartoon brain represents the mental representations. The traces show the gradient in the waveform profile for the different interneurons, and the neurons were reconstructed from archetypal parvalbumin and calretinin interneurons. The brain was rendered in Blender, and the reflection crafted in Photoshop.

Sliced fine art prints available.

Giclee fine art prints on Hahnemuehle Photo Rag rated for 200 years fade resistance.

The Challenge: Create a striking cover image showcasing LFP phase resetting in primate hippocampus during eye movements. Accompanies this article: Modulation of local field potentials and neuronal activity in primate hippocampus during saccades. Doucet et al. 2019

The outcome: This cover design is featured on the cover of the Journal Hippocampus Volume 30, Issue 3 March 2020.

How it’s done: The hippocampus was superimposed on the eye as a reflection to demonstrate the hippocampus’ activity during eye movements. The eye was rendered in Blender, and the reflection crafted in Photoshop.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul. Well, turns out they are also an excellent window into the workings of the brain. Visual neuroscience is one of the longest-studied fields in sensory neuroscience. We can learn an incredible amount about the brain's computations at large from investigating how the brain processes and encodes visual information, and how the brain prepares for eye movements.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul. Well, turns out they are also an excellent window into the workings of the brain. Visual neuroscience is one of the longest-studied fields in sensory neuroscience. We can learn an incredible amount about the brain's computations at large from investigating how the brain processes and encodes visual information, and how the brain prepares for eye movements.

The Challenge: Create a photorealistic 3D model of the human brain.

How it’s Done: MRI images were reconstructed into a 3D model using InVesalius, retopologised, sculpted, and textured in Blender.

The Challenge: Create a photorealistic 3D model of the Rhesus Macaque brain.

How it’s Done: Brain was sculpted and textured in Blender referencing the Scalable Brain Atlas to ensure anatomical accuracy.

The Challenge: Create a photorealistic 3D model of the rat brain.

How it’s Done: Brain was sculpted and textured in Blender referencing the Scalable Brain Atlas to ensure anatomical accuracy.

This project was created as an exploration of skeletal anatomy in the lower limb. Pictured here is the medial longitudinal arch of the foot.

The Challenge: The client requested a series of figures for a research paper describing browlift surgical techniques.

How it’s Done: Extensive research of the surgical technique was conducted, and the physician was consulted for accuracy. Procedure was sketched and approved by client, and client input implemented iteratively to produce the final result. A semi-realistic style of the procedure was chosen to ensure clarity and provide additional spatial information.

Infographic collaboration with the talented Rachel Long https://www.rachlong.com/.

This project was an album cover for the rock band Serein for their single Add or All.

Check out Serein @sereinkicksass

“Very satisfied. The artwork came out exactly what I was looking for and had the realism and detail I was seeking. It helped visually represent the song Serein made and gives us an icon to represent the single. The work was done well, with a good mixture of our initial ideas and Kelly's artistic vision and detail. Best aspect was the detail and having the ability to communicate directly and make quick changes to the artwork. Worst, might be having only two edits. Its tough with a group collaboration to appease everyone within two edits.“ - Serein

Although human babies are altricial, taking many years to become independent of their parents, their minds develop remarkably quickly and in a year they can understand speech and walk around. Neuroimaging of infants is providing fascinating insights into the brain changes that underlie this extraordinary mental development. This drawing was inspired by the infant fMRI research of Rhodri Cusack and his team at Trinity College Dublin, and by the curiosity in the eyes of my nephew. The embroidered quilt symbolises the emergence of human intelligence. To learn more about infant neuroimaging visit www.cusacklab.org.