Dawn Hunter
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dawnhunter.bsky.social
Dawn Hunter
@dawnhunter.bsky.social
400 followers 100 following 50 posts
Visual Artist, Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina, and Fulbright Scholar of Santiago Ramón y Cajal - Cajal is my muse. Primary sources from Cajal's life are the subjects of my artwork and writing.

https://www.dawnhunterartist.com
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dawnhunter.bsky.social
I am pleased to share that I have a solo exhibition of my artwork from my Cajal Inventory series in the West Alcove Gallery, Clinical Center, NIH. The exhibition opened January 13, 2025; will run through April 5, 2025.

@institutocajal.bsky.social

#Cajal #neuroscience #Neuron #SciArt #CellBiology
This is a collage image featuring seven drawings illustrating Cajal and his scientific works, along with a portrait of artist Dawn Hunter. The top row includes a drawing of the Purkinje Cell, an illustration of Cajal's first sketchbook, and a portrait drawing of Cajal. The second row features a title flyer held beneath a framed drawing of Cajal, a photograph of artist Dawn Hunter in a purple blouse, and an illustration of Cajal's retina drawing. The bottom row includes an illustration of Cajal's retinal flow drawing, an illustration of Cajal's photographic self-portrait, and an illustration of Cajal's olfactory drawing.
February 17, 2025 at 12:36 AM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
Happy #Valentine’sDay throwback, look at some of my most beloved artworks, starting w/ “Art Department”—my autobiographical blending #metaphor & #symbolism to reflect my journey from art student to faculty. Its reception exceeded expectations, resonating across #AcademicDisciplines. #ArtSchool #Art
February 14, 2025 at 1:03 PM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
Valentine's day count down continues w/ highlighting a facet of Cajal. Against the wishes of his family, Cajal was resolved to marry Silveria Fañanás García. She was his steadfast companion & her role in his life underscores the profound human element behind his groundbreaking work. #Cajal #SciArt
February 12, 2025 at 12:57 PM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
The brain is a pattern-seeking machine, shaping identity through memory, perception & experience. Cajal mapped neurons—the “butterflies of the soul”—portraiture maps the inner self, capturing a moment in time that is both personal and universal. #Cajal #NeuroArt #SciArt @institutocajal.bsky.social
February 11, 2025 at 4:11 PM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
Throwing it back with butterflies, ponies, and pink ladies for Valentine’s Week. 💕🦋🎠 Cajal saw neurons as “butterflies of the soul,” capturing the fleeting beauty of thought itself. Pink impacts the brain in fascinating ways? Baker-Miller Pink has a sedative effect.

#SciArt #NeuroArt #Cajal #Art
February 10, 2025 at 3:43 PM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
Thrilled that my painting Drip has been accepted into ArtFields 2025 Competition! Drip combines simulated drips & real paint elements, merging 2-D surfaces w/ 3-D paint chunks, serving as a metaphor for the body's plasticity & modern reshaping body concepts. #acrylicpainting #contemporaryart #art
This is a painting by artist Dawn Hunter of seven female figures immersed in an environment of dripping paint. This is an image of the 2025 ArtFields sticker. This is a detail of Dawn Hunter painting Drip that features legs and feet of female figures. This is a detail of Dawn Hunter's painting Drip and it features a face of a female figure and her hair has been created out of chunks of paint.
December 14, 2024 at 2:22 PM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
Art train! 🚂
Thanks for the tag, @neurobatool.bsky.social .

Sharing a few of my #BrainArt creations 🎨—exploring #NeuroArt and #SciArt.

#Cajal #Neuroscience #Neurology

Now passing the torch to @minouette.bsky.social and @kindracrick.com —you're up next!
Illustration of Cajal's pyramidal neurons of a duck by artist Dawn Hunter. Illustration of Cajal's first sketchbook from Valencia, Spain, circa 1877. This illustration was drawn from direct observation by artist Dawn Hunter. The sketchbook is open to the pages where Cajal drew neurons for the first time, depicting neurons from a pig's brain. This is a caricature drawing by artist Dawn Hunter of NIH researcher, Ben White's talk at the Instituto Cajal. This is a surreal portrait of Cajal, featuring replicas of his self-portrait drawings and silhouette profile portraits created by casting shadows of his death mask onto paper.
November 26, 2024 at 4:22 AM
dawnhunter.bsky.social

Thank you, Neurohumanities Network, for inviting me to speak on 12/10 @ 7 PM. I will discuss Cajal's legacy share images from the Legado Cajal, Biblioteca Nacional de España & private collections. Register for the event here: harvard.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

#Neuroscience #Cajal #SciArt #Neurology
This is a monochromatic portrait of Cajal in pyramidal neurons by artist Dawn Hunter. This is a black and white profile portrait of Cajal with text announcing a speaking engagement hosted by the Neurohumanities Network featuring Dawn Hunter
November 25, 2024 at 2:37 PM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
Catch the First Street Gallery exhibition in NYC, juried by April Gornik, featuring 38 artists nationwide—including me! My piece, Velázquez, Paseo del Prado, is a Plein air of Madrid’s Atocha, Cajal’s neighborhood. Show closes Sat., Nov. 23. Hours: 11am-6pm. 🧠🔬🎨 #Pleinair #landscapepainting #SciArt
This is a Plein air landscape painting by Dawn Hunter, featuring a statue of Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez on the Paseo del Prado.
November 21, 2024 at 12:41 PM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
Hi all, thank you for your support after Hurricane Helene. Darcy and I are safe and relocated. Repairs on our home begin soon. I found solace finishing Larry Swanson’s Krieg Award, blending themes of Cajal, Wendell Krieg & personal memories.
#Cajal #SciArt #Neuroscience @institutocajal.bsky.social
This is a collage photo of Dawn Hunter and Larry Swanson. On the left is Dawn Hunter holding Larry Swanson's Cajal Club Krieg Lifetime Achievement Award, and in the photos on the right, she is presenting the award to him. This is the certificate that Dawn Hunter created for Larry Swanson's Cajal Club Krieg Lifetime Achievement Award. It is a unique drawing, inspire by newspapers in Madrid published during the late 19th century and early 20th century. This is a birds eye view of inside the customized award box, featuring the details of pattern, borders and piping. On the right is the customized purple leather case, with Old English lettering - a nod to Krieg's typography in his books. The leather case holds the illustrated certificate. This is the front cover of the customized box that Dawn Hunter created for Larry Swanson's Cajal Club Krieg Lifetime Achievement Award. It features her original artwork inspired by Cajal's life and research. The top image is an illustration she created for Cajal's first sketchbook from Valencia, while the bottom image is a surreal portrait of Cajal from her handmade sketchbook.
November 20, 2024 at 1:57 PM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
This began as a sheet of paper intended for testing pens & evolved into a plein air rendering of Madrid's skyline, drawn from my hotel balcony - an embrace of spontaneity in the city, letting the first strokes on the paper guide the creation. #drawingoftheday #pleinairpainter #markerdrawing
This is a cityscape drawing of central Madrid, Spain by artist Dawn Hunter.
August 21, 2024 at 10:13 AM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
Here are more observational drawings from my recent trip to NYC: sketches from Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History + a quick caricature sketch of a 5-year-old while I was drawing in the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploration Atrium. #Art #drawingoftheday #ArtandScience #NaturalSciences
This is a drawing of the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploration Atrium by artist Dawn Hunter. This is a Plein air drawing of a waffle truck by artist Dawn Hunter. This is a Plein air drawing of a birds eye view of an ice cream truck in Central Park by artist Dawn Hunter. This is a caricature drawing of a young asian girl by artist Dawn Hunter.
August 1, 2024 at 12:08 PM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
Four of my drawings have been selected for two exhibits celebrating rural life: Summertime, @ MTSU July 8-23, 2024 & Signs of Rural Life @ Blue Cat Gallery & Studio July 10-August 16, 2024.

#RuralLifeArt #NatureInspiredArt #4thOfJulyVIBES #SummerDrawing #JosephOregon #WallowaLake #DawnHunterArt
This is a landscape drawing of a grain silo and old metal buildings situated in front of a mountain range by artist Dawn Hunter. This is a landscape drawing of a grain silo and old metal buildings situated in front of a mountain range by artist, Dawn Hunter. This is a drawing by artist Dawn Hunter of a four-way stop in Joseph, Oregon, featuring a house on the far right, a large tree in the center, and a blue pickup truck on the left. This is a drawing of a backyard that features a large tree on the left and a hammock and Adorondik chair on the right by artist Dawn Hunter.
July 2, 2024 at 2:54 PM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
For Day 13-16 of the #ArtAdventCalendar, highlighting a personal facet of Santiago Ramón y Cajal. In defiance of familial skepticism, Cajal's resolution to marry his life's companion underscores a profound human element behind his research.

#SciArt #Neuroscience #Art #AñoCajal #Cajal
This is an illustration by artist Dawn Hunter of Cajal's wife, Silveria, with two of their children juxtaposed with an image of a Madonna and a baby on the left. This is a scientific illustration by artist Dawn Hunter of Cajal's wife Silveria juxtaposed with images of a spinal cord drawing by Cajal. This is a double image drawing by artist Dawn Hunter. On the left is a drawing of a photo of a church that was taken by Cajal and on the right is a drawing of a composite print of Silveria that features four images of her. This is a drawing by artist Dawn Hunter of Cajal's wife Silveria. It is a double portrait and on the left she is wearing a veil and on the right, she is seated at a table.
December 17, 2023 at 3:45 PM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
Art Advent Calendar Days 9-12, I am filled with gratitude to be able to involve her in my research on Cajal & I am commemorating Darcy's parallel experiences with Cajal, Spain, the Instituto Cajal & NIH. #SciComm #DrawingoftheDay #Neuroscience #NeuroArt #Cajal #AñoCajal #SciArt #ArtAdventCalendar
Top Left: A drawing of a young African American girl with neurons, inspired by Cajal's work, by Dawn Hunter. Top Right: The same girl on roller skates next to a list of acronyms, artwork by Dawn Hunter. Bottom Left: The girl's portrait merged with an interpretation of Cajal's Glial cells, by Dawn Hunter. Bottom Right: A dual portrait of the girl in costumes; as an Egyptian to the left and as a princess with a flamingo to the right, created by Dawn Hunter.
December 12, 2023 at 2:43 PM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
🌟 #ArtAdventCalendar - Days 5-8: Exploring Cajal's Madrid
A Plein air landscape visual journey in Madrid, I trace/paint the paths literally walked in the afternoons by Santiago Ramón y Cajal, exploring historical sites linked to his life and work. #Cajal #Madrid #SciArt #Neuroscience #Art #AñoCajal
This is a Plein-air painting of the view from the steps of the first Instituto Cajal in Madrid by artist Dawn Hunter. There are tall trees, vibrant sunlight, and purple shadows cutting across the foreground. This is a Plein air painting of the Paseo de Prado and the Velázquez statue by artist Dawn Hunter. This is a landscape painting of the Cajal's favorite path to walk in the Retiro Parque in Madrid by artist Dawn Hunter. Lush green trees line the pathway, and a park bench is on the left. This is a Real Jardín Botánico landscape painting by artist Dawn Hunter. The dominant colors are soft pinks, blues, and yellow-green.
December 8, 2023 at 3:47 PM
dawnhunter.bsky.social
It's that time of year again, #ArtAdventCalendar. I'm catching up on days 1-4 with images that present a slice of Americana set against the verdant backdrop of the Wallowa and Chief Joseph mountains in Oregon. #DrawingoftheDay #drawing #LandscapeMonday #PleinAirDrawing #art
This is a drawing by artist Dawn Hunter of a Model-T truck set against an mountain backdrop. This is a drawing of a neighborhood in Joseph, OR by artist Dawn Hunter. There are power lines intersecting in the foreground and a pick-up truck, pine trees, and a yellow home in the middle ground. There is a mountain range in the background. This is a drawing by artist Dawn Hunter of an eagle. There is foliage above and below the eagle and a wooden building in the background. This is a drawing by artist Dawn Hunter of the Wallowa Mountain range. There are old building structures in the middle ground and a fence made out of wire and wooden posts in the foreground.
December 4, 2023 at 2:49 PM