The photosynthesizers–the microorganisms

Here are a few representatives of the myriad of organisms able to perform photosynthesis on earth today. Humans have been seriously trying to reproduce this trick in the last few decades, without real success yet.

/ Euglena, famous pond water dweller
This single celled organism is a eukaryote, a complex cell with chloroplasts, nucleus, and many other elements inside. They live in fresh water and move to the best spot using a photosensitive eyespot to follow the light. / £2000
/ Ode to photosynthesis–blue-green algae
In fact they were badly named, they are not algae at all, but bacteria: Cyanobacteria is their proper name. They live in lakes and oceans and occasionally produce blooms that can be seen from space. / £1500
/ Purple bacteria I
Mostly purple, but not always. They are pigmented by bacteriochlorophyll and carotenoids, giving them a colourful range of purples, pinks and oranges. They photosynthesize without producing oxygen as a by-product. / £1000
/ Purple bacteria II
One type, purple sulphur bacteria, deposit elemental sulphur –brimstone – instead. Others oxidise iron to form rusty banded iron formations. / £1000

The photosynthesizers – the lichens

Lichens are symbiotic organisms, where fungi and algae work together to exploit sunlight and create glorious stains on trees and tombs. These are foliose lichens, with small,flat leaf-like structures.

/ Highgate resident, yellow on yew tree
The marked contrast of yellow lichen on dark bark is quite common in cemeteries. They are at their best when they catch the setting sun light. / £2000
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/ Highgate resident in pink
Tombs are frequently covered by lichens, and the dates on the stones have been used to date the lichens. / £1200
/ Highgate resident in green
As lichens can occur from sea level to high mountains they are a very familiar view. It is estimated that 6% of the Earth’s surface is covered by lichens. / £1200

The mechanics of photosynthesis – the chloroplasts

Chloroplasts are the magic making masters. Inside the chloroplast, the pigment chlorophyll seems to turn light into matter, in fact using the energy of sunlight to make organic molecules. Chloroplasts were free-living cyanobacteria once!

/ The magnificent seven
Chloroplasts in a plant cell, in this case a spinach leaf. The stacks of thylakoid membranes are where the action takes place. The dark spots are starch granules / £2000
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/ Partners in crime I – mitochondria and chloroplasts
These two organelles, both descending from bacteria, work very closely together. Here the plant mitochondria have curved cristae, and the endothelium reticulum curls around both. / £1500
/ Partners in crime II – mitochondria and chloroplasts
The nucleus takes a large portion of these images, yet is a peripheral player, merely a repository of genes. The membranes of these organelles are playing organic figures over an active cytosol background, the factory floor. / £1500
/ The light sensitive wall (moss leaf)
This is a moss leaf, where chloroplasts are packed tightly into each cell. This view has geometrical regularity, held in place by the cell walls, without losing the impression of fluid organic movement. / £2000

The mechanics of photosynthesis – the roots

Roots are the underground arm of the operation, absorbing and transporting water and minerals to the stems and leaves. Here we see roots in section, a microscopic view that classifies flowering plants into dicots and monocots.

/ Sicilian sun – Tomato root
The mandala is a spiritual symbol or diagram used to aid meditation and relaxation. The regular pattern of the tomato root can have a similarly mesmerising effect. / £2500
/ Mexican sun – Maize root
Corn was domesticated in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. Many varieties exist today. This root has different layers that represent stages of growth. / £1500
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/ English sun – Buttercup root
Not the most common image that comes to mind when you think of a buttercup, but this is still a true representation of the beautiful flowering plant. / £2000
/ Spanish sun – Sarsaparilla root
These flowering plants belong to the genus Smilax, and are common in temperate zones. As a monocot, they can make true wood. / £1500
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/ Menorca sun – Pine stem
Stems also have a mandala structure when seen through the microscope. In this image, the Mediterranean pine has bark around as the external layer. / £1000

The results of photosynthesis – banded iron formations

In the beginning, there was no oxygen, and iron dissolved in the oceans. When photosynthesis got going, oxygen began to accumulate in the atmosphere and oceans. Some of the dissolved iron oxidised –rusted – and precipitated to the sea floor. Sedimentary layers of iron covered the bottom of the oceans making some of the most stunning and colourful geological records.

/ The what – The Z scheme
A Z shaped diagram is sometimes used to explain the light-dependent reactions that take place during photosynthesis. As banded iron formations take many shapes, ‘Zs’ are not uncommon, and a suitable nod to the mechanisms that produced them. / £2000
/ The where – Royal Institution
As distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age, they predate the creation of the Royal Institution. But the connections of the Ri with photosynthesis and with light in a wider sense are many over the years. / £2000
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/ The who – Odra Noel
And it is a personal allowance to read your name in the clouds of the sky and the layers of the rocks; I have done it quite literarily here. This work is not otherwise signed, only dated. / £2000