Acrylic and acrylic transfer on linen. 73 x 91 cm.

The paintings in the Mineral Siblings series (www.nataleadgnot.com/mineral-siblings) were inspired by the similarities and the differences between human siblings and their crystalline counterparts. Mineral twinning – a natural phenomenon whereby distinct crystals form in aggregates that look like conjoined twins – is analogous to brothers and sisters who don't fall far from the tree (or from each other). By contrast, strikingly different minerals such as diamond and graphite are sometimes polymorphs – that is, two forms of the very same chemical compound. Like blood brothers and sisters, despite their shared origins, they are functionally unrelated.

Some canvases in this series give higher profile to unknown people than to their famous siblings. Unfamiliar faces are right side up while familiar ones are upside down, literally turning on its head the notion that some people are worth more than others.