Cover Art: Sarah McGuinness

This editorial illustration, titled “The Immunological Principles of Allergies,” features a child having an allergic reaction. Flanking him are a few of the leading culprits for allergies: a shaft of wheat, a few peanuts, and some microscopic grains of pollen. Also featured is an IgG molecule, and a basophil, both of which are involved in allergic reactions. The purpose of this painting was to depict the conglomerate of physical forms an allergic reaction can involve: as a coughing child, or an antibody, or a grain of pollen. It occupies space from the macro-scale to the nano-scale.

The first step I take when starting a new piece is to do as much research as I can on the subject matter. Next, I searched for inspiration in photographs of pollen and the paintings of Norman Rockwell and J. C. Leyendecker. Rockwell’s “slice of life” approach and Leyendecker’s pastel color palettes and unique compositional style interested me the most. When the seed of an idea took hold, I sketched as many thumbnails as I could to chase after it. After assembling a plethora of reference images (including photos of my younger brother coughing), I began piecing together the final painting. Hopefully, my work will draw interest so that others may understand how allergies manifest, as well as the immunological principles behind this process.

About the Artist

Sarah McGuinness is from Austin, Texas, and majored in Biochemistry and Genetics (minoring in Art) at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. While Sarah was in her undergraduate program, she realized that scientific research was not how she wanted to spend the rest of her life. She wanted a career that would incorporate her passion for both art and science, as well as fill the communication gap between the scientific and medical community and the public. For this reason, she decided to become a scientific illustrator and animator. She is currently completing her Master of Science in Biomedical Visualization at the University of Illinois in Chicago.