Muse: What is your history as an artist, and how did you get involved in medical illustration?

Cynthia Turner: I was always inclined to draw what I see, and to create representational art or conceptual art, but not abstracted art. I also knew from an early age I wanted to make a living as an artist. There didn't seem to be much room for someone like me in fine art, so when I went to school, I pursued a BFA in advertising design and illustration. While I was in the midst of my studies, my design advisor sent me to see a medical illustrator who had just arrived on campus. He thought that might appeal to me—and he was right! The moment I saw my first medical illustrations, I knew that was the place for me, and that there was a real niche for my artistic representative inclinations. This medical illustrator became my first mentor. I began taking independent studies under him and later interned with him while I completed my BFA degree.

Medical illustrators gain their formal training in a graduate program associated with a medical school. With his advice and guidance, I began preparing for graduate school, adding pre-med courses to my BFA curricula. I actually had believed I didn't like science, until it suddenly became very meaningful to my artistic pursuits. I received my MA in biomedical communications at the University of Texas Health Science Center, also known as Southwestern Medical School, in Dallas.

Medical illustrators stay current by board certification. Every five years, board certification is renewed by completing the requisite credits through continuing medical education, and by staying abreast of the curve of evolving visualization software. I have been in a partnership with another medical illustrator for over 30 years. He is also my husband! Our studio is Alexander & Turner Inc. My agent is the marvelous Gail Thurm, senior vp of pharmaceutical services at Shannon Associates.

What appeals to you about doing art in the medical industry? Is it the intricate nature of the subject matter that you find beautiful?

Yes, the subject matter is indeed beautiful. The divine architecture, the wonders of the human body and how it works—or how it fails—and the rapid pace of medical advancement in our lifetimes have made it a wild ride constantly full of stimulation. I trained to draw anatomy and surgical illustration. Now I also do a lot of work at the cellular and molecular level. It is the great cosmic zoom—inner landscapes can look like intergalactic landscapes.