Portraits by Marina

I am currently working toward a Ph.D. degree in Physical Chemistry.

While I am a graduate student in the sciences, drawing has always been an important aspect of my life.

A childhood memory

One day my second-grade teacher placed a cube on her desk and asked if anyone in the class could draw it. Five or six volunteers ran up to the board and excitedly drew figures that, in various ways, attempted to display all six sides of the cube. After gently sending everyone back to their seats, the teacher asked if anyone else had an idea. By now the class had gone quiet. Being terribly shy, I did not stir. I was also confused: Could it be that no one could draw in perspective? Because I had never been taught, I had somehow assumed it was an instinctive skill. I eventually gathered enough courage to go to the board and trace those nine chalk lines.

In middle school I was introduced to gouache, crayons, pastels, and watercolor, along with various drawing techniques and themes. During these years my work was rich in color.

Building bridges

It was not until my senior year in high school that I drew my first actual portrait. My friend Delphine gave me two photos: one of her grandmother, and an older one of her grandfather. She asked me if I could draw them together. Her grandmother looked sweet. Her grandfather, on the other hand, made me uncomfortable. His eyebrows were non-existent and his toothless smile was strange. He looked as if he were sick but did not know it.

Late that night, I started drawing Delphine's grandmother. It was surprisingly easier than I had expected. I didn't know I could do that. Feeling at peace, I smiled. For a moment, I thought I was smiling at the gentle lady, and not the paper.

Coming out of my reverie, I worked on the grandfather. By the time I finished his eyes, he no longer made me uneasy. Then I drew his nose and his mouth. He was now making me smile. The more I looked at the photo, the more it felt like I knew him - not just his features, but him as a person, someone with a name and a story... a life.

The next day, I gave the portraits to Delphine and told her I'd love to meet her grandparents. "They died a few years ago," she said. "This drawing is for my aunt." My heart sank. Through my first portraits, I had made an invisible connection with people I had never met and never would meet. I was later told that Delphine's aunt cried when she saw the drawing, and I thought I could feel a bit of her pain.

Where art and science meet

I started college with the intention to double major in Art and Biology. Throughout the drawing course I took my first year, my art professors encouraged me to be less deliberate, as they were concerned my works might lack personal interpretation. I forced myself in that direction for a while, but I soon realized that I was seeking something different.

My goal was not to express myself. Rather, it was to help people create memories. The chance to touch someone's life in a unique way and perhaps be touched in return had become the reason why I was making portraits. Working in timeless black and white had become my specialty.

I eventually graduated with a double major in Biology and Chemistry, and a minor in Mathematics.