Tag: Janina Aza Karpinska

“Petri Dish Emotions” is a vibrant, collage-like composition that fills the frame, structured around four large circular forms resembling petri dishes or cells. Each circle contains layered spirals and fragments of cut paper—snippets of printed text with phrases such as: “A Wild Love,” “connect,” “research,” “deep time”, and organic shapes—arranged in swirling motions. The background is densely textured with crayon or pastel marks in green, yellow, pink, and blue, creating a sense of energetic movement between the circles. Smaller circular cutouts scatter across the surface, especially in the lower right, adding rhythm and variation. The overall effect is playful yet intricate, evoking microscopic life, growth, and interconnected systems.

“Petri Dish Emotions” & “Eating Emotions” * Art & Poetry * Janina Aza Karpinska

aromatica poetica April 3, 2026

Note from the author to the editor: I had in mind that I might send you “Eating Emotions,” originally published in Magma 85—a schools edition, but reworked since looking at it again. This morning when I lifted my head I noticed a piece of artwork I’d made, Petri Dish Emotions, that held my eye in a way that only made sense later in the day when I saw a short video clip of a TED talk by Brené Brown and …

“Goldilocks Ensemble”: a photograph of children’s books such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Blue-Sky Thinking, etc. Three books are open with words blacked out.

“Goldilocks Closet Secrets” * Images + Text * Janina Aza Karpinska

aromatica poetica December 7, 2020

Here are some pages from different editions of Goldilocks from my collection of Goldilocks Files –Treated, or altered pages, in the style of Tom Phillips, which was a technique I chanced upon years ago, and which gave me the words and expression I lacked by any other means. I have chosen those which relate to the senses – taste; scent; pleasure. As a little bit of background on the actual technique: I’m indebted to stumbling across the Tom Phillips technique …