Metamorphosis of Mitochondria following Brain Injury

14” x 18” Oil Canvas

Karen Hope

Karen is a marketing strategist by trade with a career focus on brand development using graphic design. Her career involved directing artists for advertising and marketing pieces. Her after hours creative outlet has been painting. Over the years she’s been tutored in pastel and oil painting by various Calgary artists. Her interest in Your Brain on Art was a "no-brainer" as she says it paired the neuroscience research cause with art. Her daughter Kaitlyn has a career interest in neuroscience. Karen considers herself a "hobby artist" and hopes to find more time to develop her painting skills she matures into retirement.

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My Motivation: I first thought of a butterfly that would bring healthy cells to a brain after a traumatic brain injury. My next thought was to find a flower looking like a brain. It turns out the Cockscomb flower is known for its brain resemblance. Instead of trying to paint the flower, I decided to paint a brain that had a flower resemblance.

The Creative Result: The flower represents the brain in a fire-like background after a traumatic brain injury. The butterfly – a sign of hope and freedom – is bringing the brain a treatment to minimize harmful effects of inflammation that can cause cellular damage and long-term disabilities. The wings encompass the mitochondria – the powerhouses of your cells – that are a focal point for research to reduce the negative effects of inflammation.

Dr. Erik Fraunberger

Medical Student, University of Calgary

https://www.branchoutfoundation.com/the_effect_of_black_tea_extracts_in_traumatic_brain_injury

Metamorphosis of Mitochondria following Brain Injury

Karen Hope

Dr. Erik Fraunberger

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