Thursday, October 1, 2026
Franklin Square resident Joseph Fernandez had worked for decades as a scientist studying life under a microscope before discovering that his next chapter would be spent bringing life to paper.
The retired biomedical research scientist transformed his home into a personal gallery, where walls are lined with meticulously detailed graphite drawings inspired by everything from classic literature and rock music to history, science and family memories.
Last month, many of those works were featured in an exhibit at the Franklin Square Public Library, where visitors had the chance to experience the depth and precision that have become hallmarks of his artwork.
Fernandez retired about seven years ago after spending more than 30 years conducting biomedical research at The Rockefeller University alongside Nobel Prize-winning scientists studying cancer, Alzheimer's disease and cell biology. He began dabbling in art at 13.
He said he never expected that his scientific career would influence his artistic one.
"I'm a chemist," Fernandez said, "so I always had to view chemical structures."
Years of visualizing three-dimensional molecular structures taught him how to translate depth and perspective onto a flat page, skills that now define his artwork.
"You have to actually be able to draw something flat that you know how it's oriented in 3D space," he said. "I did that for decades."
His drawings often stop viewers in their tracks. Whether recreating the dramatic lighting inside an alchemist's workshop or the intricate laboratory in a graphic novel adaptation of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," Fernandez has paid close attention to every highlight, reflection and shadow.
Standing before one of his favorite pieces, an incredibly detailed interpretation of Bernie Wrightson's iconic "Frankenstein" artwork, Fernandez enthusiastically pointed out the subtle details that give the illustration depth, from the transparent glass cylinder reflecting light to the shadows stretching across the laboratory.
"I always consider that one of my best," he said.
Fernandez has a story to tell on almost every piece he has done, which is most often rooted in his own life.
One drawing celebrates the music that filled his childhood, featuring 13 rock legends. It remains his favorite piece because it reflects the artists that he grew up listening to through his older brothers.
Another pays tribute to J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," a series Fernandez first read in high school, years before the films were released.
"My inspiration was just because I love the books," he said.
Another drawing recreates the Manhattan view from his Rockefeller University office before new construction permanently altered the skyline. In the drawing, viewers can spot a horse on the highway, a common sight at the time because a horse stable operated along the FDR Drive. The piece offers a unique perspective because construction began shortly before his retirement in 2015 and was completed in 2019, resulting in a five-block-long, two-story building along the roadway that permanently changed the view forever.
Still another celebrates Sunday newspaper comics, weaving together beloved cartoon characters with portraits of family members, including his daughters, brothers and parents.
Perhaps his most meaningful piece is a simple still life dedicated to his daughters. Hidden within the arrangement are treasured keepsakes connected to loved ones they never had the chance to know, including a Cub Scout race car he built with his father, an elephant figure brought home from Africa by his late brother and a baseball that belonged to his wife's grandfather.
Fernandez is colorblind, which became a challenge, leading him to embrace pencil, where careful blending and shading allow him to produce realistic pieces. Working from two studios in his home, he spends about an hour drawing most days, relying on construction lines and grids to establish perfect proportions before erasing them from the finished work.
Jason Alvino, president of Friends of the Franklin Square Public Library, said the technical skill behind Fernandez's drawings is unlike anything he has seen.
"Like he's doing stuff with the pencil that you shouldn't be able to do, you know, it's just bananas," Alvino said.
"This technique is just for an artist to see this, it's mind boggling," he added.
Among Alvino's favorites is Fernandez's recreation of Bernie Wrightson's work.
"The monster's one is my favorite one,” he said. “This is Bernie Wrightenstein, and when I tell you, like, first of all, this is insane, because the original Bernie Wrightson artwork is so incredibly detailed, and he got every single detail."
Fernandez's library exhibit may have concluded, but it won't be his last. He plans to return to the library in December with an entirely new collection, giving visitors another opportunity to experience the stories he tells — one pencil stroke at a time.
