Portland-based artist Lindsey Holcomb creates bold, saturated compositions that transform MRI scans into vivid artworks inspired by the Japanese practice of kintsugi.

• Lindsey’s #ColorsOfMS project has transformed more than 300 MRI scans into vibrant paintings lined in gold, referencing kintsugi.
• Changes in her vision and mobility directly shape distinct bodies of work, from graphic ink compositions to sweeping abstract forms.
• Music, poetry, her Japanese heritage, and collaborative studio time with her daughters all inform Lindsey’s material choices and visual language.

Based in Portland, Oregon, Lindsey Holcomb creates bold, saturated compositions that transform medical imagery into layered works lined in gold, referencing the Japanese practice of kintsugi — the Japanese practice of repairing broken ceramics with lacquer mixed with gold, intentionally highlighting cracks rather than disguising them. 

Using alcohol and India ink, encaustic, cyanotype printing, and cut paper, she builds rich fields of color punctuated by hand-cut and gilded forms referencing lesions in MRI scans.

Living with multiple sclerosis (MS), Ehlers-Danlos, and neurodivergence has left what she describes as “an indelible mark” on her practice — one that shows up directly in her work, as her series shift in response to changes in vision, mobility, and movement. Before receiving an MS diagnosis, Lindsey navigated symptoms that disrupted her vision, energy, and mobility without clear answers. After years of uncertainty, an MRI scan revealed white matter lesions, allowing her care team to identify MS as the source of her symptoms. The scans brought clarity, but navigating the medical system and facing those images of her own brain was quietly overwhelming.

The empowering experience of painting her brain was the catalyst for her #ColorsOfMS project. What started as a personal response grew into a platform for others living with MS to commission reinterpretations of their own MRI scans. Since its inception, Lindsey has painted more than 300 MRI scans, and the project has been featured in Brain & Life Magazine.

For many people living with MS, commissioning Lindsey to create artworks from their scans is an act of reclamation. An image once associated with diagnosis, loss, and trauma is transformed into something intentional and self-defined. Every artwork acknowledges the subject’s unique brain as it is, without hiding its marks.

“I am so eager to help others view their diagnosis in a different light that delivering a painting sometimes feels like the anticipation of a holiday morning. I would never say that I'm happy I was diagnosed with MS, but it completely reshaped my outlook on how I want to live my life moving forward. It's given me boundaries, and a renewed gusto to stay curious and creative.”

What makes your creative process uniquely yours?

My creative process is driven primarily by how my body and mind feel on a given day, as I balance multiple sclerosis, Ehlers-Danlos, and neurodivergence. My vision, my range of motion, and the steadiness of my hand are all constantly in flux, so I've devoted myself to unlearning that feeling of frustration or fighting against my symptoms, and instead try to stay open to possibility.

For example, unpredictable vision led me to create a bold and graphic series (Torii), and a year of regaining my range of motion in my right arm and neck led me to create a series comprised of smooth, sweeping shapes (Boundless). I like to be continually surprised and curious with what I'm able to do, and am open to change rather than putting down the paintbrush.

What life experiences most deeply influence your work?

My studies and heritage both deeply influence my work today in many ways. I went to college to study violin performance, and music will always be a large part of my creative process; every time I finish a piece, I take note of the music I listened to while it was created. The music can influence my palette choice, the movement in the work itself, and helps me identify what I am trying to communicate through art.

While studying violin, I realized I missed literature and language and went on to take as many courses as I could. Today, my work often incorporates inspiration from poetry and myth, as well as my Japanese heritage –– through technique, media choice, or subject. I also incorporate kirigami, or cut paper, and reference kintsugi by lining lesion shapes in gold.

I am also a mom to two, and this influences my practice greatly. I love having the opportunity to share creative moments with them — they often get to place a mark or two in my work, or paint alongside me — and to show that mistakes or unexpected directions can often make for the most interesting finished work.

How has sharing your work through ArtLifting changed your art or your life?

Sharing my work through ArtLifting has changed both my art and my life in so many ways. I no longer feel restricted to focus on just one style or direction. Instead, I am supported to stay curious about the evolution of what I make, which is priceless. Being able to share my story alongside my artwork, through an organization that aligns with and celebrates my lived experience, is incredible.

On my worst days, I know I can rest because I have this incredible team behind me, and that is one of the most wonderful and deeply healing gifts I could have asked for.

What do you hope stays with someone after they experience your work?

When someone experiences my work, I hope that it sparks a feeling of curiosity that stays with them. The ultimate compliment would be that they then feel inspired to create themselves, no matter what that is. I think we all remember that ecstatic feeling of opening a fresh new box of crayons, or squishing clay, and we forget to chase sensation as adults.

My hope is that if someone hears about my story, they will feel a renewed sense of possibility in spite of whatever feels like an obstacle. Life is weird, wild, and unexpected — but I heartily advise anybody to chase the thing that brings you peace and joy. Do it for the plot!

Across ink, wax, paper, and gold, Lindsey Holcomb has built a practice that adapts with her body while remaining grounded in music, heritage, and community. Her MRI reinterpretations, graphic ink series, and cut-paper works reflect a willingness to respond to change with experimentation rather than limitation.

Lindsey’s artwork has reached audiences far beyond her Portland studio, with exhibitions and collections across the globe, including State Street’s Boston HQ, BlueRock Therapeutics’ Cambridge HQ, and luxury residential property 25 N Lex by Greystar in New York. Through her partnership with ArtLifting, Lindsey has cultivated a sustainable art career that supports her family and honors her lived experiences while allowing her to create on her own terms.

Keep up with Lindsey on Instagram as her practice continues to grow and evolve.