The piece Anatomy and Physiology of Altruistic Energy is a drawing that explores the structure and functionality of love and selflessness in the human body. As one figure holds the other a flow of energy takes place between them, traveling from the mind, to the heart, and through every vein they have until it reaches their hands and eventually the other body they touch.When I started the drawing I knew I wanted to explore relationships people have with one another, not necessarily romantic, but nurtured and compassionate sensibility based on shared existence. Throughout my time using ink and yupo paper I have learned I can’t control every aspect of the work, but rather I can only guide my drawing towards a certain look. Ink and paint drift over the smooth paper, and I have come to appreciate how much the materials drive themselves. I chose to work in this manner because the more I let go I realized the unpredictability became my favorite part of the painting. The loss of control mirrors the aspect of focusing on another person in life without regard for the outcome, the beauty is in the initial act of support, the uncertainty only enhances the honest nature of the act. The elements of transparency and light transfer present in my first project, which was a study of a small glass paper weight, inspired me to attempt to illustrate people as translucent. As I progressed in my work I wanted my figures to glow and to be light themselves, essentially bioluminescent. My project became more about creating internal dialogue with material rather than a realistic depiction of a person or glass appearance. For me this drawing is about the concept of transparency as honesty, and what it looks like to give form to something unseen but just as real as anatomical forms in our bodies and just as important in function to life as the blood that flows through us. The selfless concern for the well-being of others is more courageous than society gives it credit for. I hope that when viewers look at my work they are able to impose themselves into the painting. I want them to remember a time someone focused on them and gave them effort, or a time when they did that for someone else. Even perfect strangers have the capacity to save lives.