I painted a figure directly onto Development of a Naked Mollusc, a scientific lithograph printed in 1858 in the UK and France. The diagram’s dark, atmospheric study of early life — clusters of embryonic forms suspended in inky water — immediately drew me in.

Molluscs are defined, in part, by their soft bodies, and I echoed that natural fluidity in the model’s pose, allowing her form to slip into the composition like something discovered rather than added.

This is a 166-year-old artifact, preserved and transformed through paint. The original artwork measures 7 × 8 inches and has been matted with black linen within a gold-rimmed frame. The final dimensions are 12 × 15 inches. It arrives framed and ready to hang.