Share:

Facebook Twitter Share

About Jeffrey

Baltimore City - Station North A&E District
Kent's artwork is cyclically about the process and medium which inspires the conceptualisation of something out of nothing; which in turn is honed to a specific result that communicates the idea which inspired the creative process in the first place - experienced as an inch, an inkling, a scratch at the back of the brain, an obsession; whatever you name it - inspiration. Kent combines dramatic gestures, vivid colors, multiple layers, impasto, collage, print, and reverse text in his… more
View Jeffrey's Resume
Jump to a project:

Surface From Under The Microscope: The Henrietta Lacks Series

Thanks to Oprah Winfrey and Rebecca Skloot, the rest of the United States is intimately acquainted with Henrietta Lacks, a name which was almost erased from history, forever. But the Lacks story has been a Baltimore story for generations, now, and a focal point for Jeffrey Kent since 2011.

Kent found the inspiration for “Surface from Under the Microscope” in the microscopic images of the HeLa cells, which he found during meticulous research on Henrietta Lacks’ story. The idea to create based on this story was planted in Jeffrey Kent’s head by Alex Hyman, at a reception for a Kent show at Myrtis Bedolla’s ‘Galerie Myrtis,’ who matter-of-factly suggested Kent should paint “something” about the story. Having just hung his last project, Kent’s curiosity was free to roam- and research- and finally, to become inspired by the HeLa cell.


The story had engulfed Jeffrey and the images of the stained cells inspired the voice and energy of the collection. The images were both beautiful, and full of movement and depth; layers like the story of the "immortal" cells themselves. Kent learned the process he used to create these paintings from internationally acclaimed American artist Sam Gilliam, who works in ever-expanding mediums. The heavy layers of paint and polymer create a reflective depth, like the smooth radiation of movement of the HeLa images. As the “immortal” cells of the story inspire the art, the paintings in turn keep the story alive. 
  • HeLa No. 249
    HeLa No. 249
    HeLa No. 249, 2018 acrylic on canvas 152.4 x 127 cm 60 x 50 in
  • Escape of the Ego (HeLa No. 420)
    Escape of the Ego (HeLa No. 420)
    Escape of the Ego (HeLa No. 420), 2018 acrylic on canvas with exposed stretchers 121.92 x 121.92 cm/48 x 48 in
  • HeLa No. 107
    HeLa No. 107
    HeLa No. 107, 2018 acrylic on canvas with exposed stretcher 81.28 x 76.2 cm 32 x 30 in
  • Colored Slides (Embrace)
    Colored Slides (Embrace)
    Colored Slides (Embrace), 2002-2018 acrylic on canvas with exposed stretchers 160.02 x 294.64 cm 63 x 116 in
  • Split Decision 2
    Split Decision 2
    Split Decision 2, 2017 Acrylic on canvas 101.6 x 76.2 cm 40 x 30 in
  • The Carnival, Anything Can Happen (A Positive to Every Negative)
    The Carnival, Anything Can Happen (A Positive to Every Negative)
    The Carnival, Anything Can Happen (A Positive to Every Negative), 2018 acrylic on canvas 91.44 x 121.42 cm 36 x 48 in
  • Culture HeLa No. 1
    Culture HeLa No. 1
    Culture HeLa No. 1, 2017 acrylic on canvas 35.56 x 35.56 cm 14 x 14 in
  • Culture HeLa No. 2, 2017
    Culture HeLa No. 2, 2017
    Culture HeLa No. 2, 2017 acrylic on canvas 40.64 x 40.64 cm 16 x 16 in
  • Culture HeLa No. 10, 2017
    Culture HeLa No. 10, 2017
    Culture HeLa No. 10, 2017 acrylic on canvas 40.64 x 40.64 cm 16 x 16 in
  • HELA NO. 1, 2017
    HELA NO. 1, 2017
    HELA NO. 1, 2017 Acrylic on canvas 81.28 x 81.28 cm 32 x 32 in
    •