Brain Tumor Survivor Shares Art and Science on New Website

MONTEREY, Calif. - Sept. 9, 2013 - PRLog -- Paul feels fortunate to be alive and enjoying the stunning coastline near his Monterey, California home. He uses two hiking poles to steady himself as he moves along a trail overlooking the Carmel River Mouth; neck straps hold a pair of binoculars and a camera, which he pauses to use often. Paul takes obvious pleasure in being here, kneeling to examine flowers and foliage, raising his binoculars to study sea otters floating in the kelp offshore, or gazing across the water at fog drifting through the trees at Point Lobos.

“I remember rolling down a hallway on a gurney on my way to the operating room, knowing that I would either wake up after surgery or I wouldn’t” says Paul. “I was calm; I had had time to think things through, and I felt I was in good hands medically. One can’t help but feel some sadness, though, at the gravity of the situation, and the loss of control. Just before arriving at the O.R., I saw windows on the left side of the hallway, and seeing the greenery of landscaping and a little patch of blue sky made me smile. A few feet later we made a right turn into the operating room, which seemed large and packed with equipment. The anesthesiologist said a few words, put a mask over my nose and mouth, and I was out.”

Fortunately, Paul did wake up after surgery, and green plants and blue sky still make him smile. He’s remarkably intact, too, but Paul says “I am slightly altered. I’m better at some things, worse at others, and less stable on my feet. It was a life-changing experience finding out I had a brain tumor, having the operation, and deciding what to do with my life. Finishing my degree, even though I’m older than most students, became a priority, and creative expression now feels like a visceral need.”

Paul has played piano since childhood, and enjoyed photography his entire adult life. With his new website Neuronico Art & Neuroscience (http://SEE.neuronico.net), he has managed to share with the world his academic interests - psychology and neuroscience - and his creative efforts: stunning image compositions built from nature photographs which have been altered and combined in playful ways. Each is colorful and engaging, and each has a voice which, as Paul states with a wry smile “clearly states something which can’t quite be put into words.”

Neuronico Neuroscience & Art (http://SEE.neuronico.net) is the first website to launch in a series exploring junctions between brain science and culture. It features the art and writing of Paul Franklin Smith, and offers art prints for purchase. Contact psmith@neuronico.net.