N E I L   B R I A N   M U R P H Y

San Francisco Bay Area-based artist, illustrator, and designer

2012: Exhibition at the Silvia White gallery Ventura, CA.

Collection 1: Landscapes	Collection 2: Sentient Beings	Collection 3: Grayscale	Collection 4: Abstractions

Neurotransmitter Series - a fascinating microcosmic gift to visual abstraction

Central nervous system neurotransmitters run a gauntlet of molecular Rube Goldberg interactions before they set in motion the inhibitory or excitatory functions that eventually lead us to the thoughts and actions that make us feel alive. One class of receptors for the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin utilizes a protein molecule that winds back and forth through the neuronal cell membrane seven times. (High envy factor: Ellis Alden claims he knew Sara Tonin in college.) A conformal change in its shape allows the action of the neurotransmitter to be passed through to the cell's interior machinery where the magic baton passing continues. (How the hell did this miniscule part of the system evolve?) Astounding.

Dopamine D2 Receptor
These machinations lend themselves to flights of imagination, and flights of (poetically licensed) abstract art. Below is an abstracted representation of a neuron's surface wherein lives a dopamine D2 receptor. (The receptor itself lies at the intersection indicated by the arrows... not very visible in this image. And no... there are no red-orange squares inside neurons. Yet.) ~60" x 60"

Serotonin 5HT Receptor
A number of serotonin receptors use the same 7-transmembrane scheme. Evolution loves to be efficient. Reuse, reuse, reuse again. In this painting the helical shape of the molecule is evident as it passes 7 times through the cell membrane. ~56" x 56"

Impossible Cubes 2012