Forgotten Women of Science – Lise Meitner

Artist – Sallyann Bradnam

Design Description

My moth pays homage to an Austrian Physicist called Lise Meitner, she was part of a team that discovered nuclear fission of Uranium (splitting the atom) as a result of her gender, race and world wide inequality during 1930s she did not receive due recognition for her work. She was excluded from the Nobel peace prize awarded, but eventually given posthumous honors. The Moth shows the process of how the Uranium atom is split, A tiny neutron bombards the atom at force, causing it to change shape and divide through an electrical charge which culminates in atomic energy. Either side of this process on the moths wings sits a Uranium atom which is surrounded by circles of electrons.

Artist Statement

I come from an Arts background I studied both Graphic Design and Fine Art and worked as a Designer in educational publishing for over 16 years, after being made redundant, I changed my profession but i still continued to paint and illustrate. The style of my work is varied, I am able to work to any scale and in any media, but my particular areas of skill are with water colour, oils and acrylics. My work is very colourful and bold, it is stylized and representational instead of being true to life, I try to get a sense of movement within my work and I also like to use symbolism. My main subject area is animals and my inspiration comes from world myths, legends and children’s stories as well as Chinese and Western astrology.