Genesis

Posting is not going as usual this week, sorry about that. I've got a deadline coming up for a show application (wish me luck there) and it's not sent off yet, and yesterday was my normal blogging day but the days events seriously deviated from my plan. Here's the next piece in the Genesis series. This piece was another one of the first pieces I made for this series, the first ten or so. It comes from Genesis 1:12.

Watercolor
9x9in
2012
Series: Genesis
Photo by Hawkinson Photography

Sacred Geometry: A Primer

So a bit of a change this week. Instead of a how-to, a look at art that uses sacred geometry. If you can, you should check out this show at the Springville Museum of Art. I've talked before about my mentor Wulf Barsch, I might have changed my major if I hadn't gotten to have his classes; the show is a retrospective of his work. It was so cool to be able to see so much of his work in the same place, some I'd seen before and some that I'd never seen before. Anyway Wulf is where I learned about sacred geometry and he uses it extensively in his work.

 I thought this was a whole picture but it might just be a close up.

 Close up of the wejat eye. Can you spot the golden spiral?

These are some of the pieces in the show. You should go and see the show. Also you should check out the show in the B F Larsen gallery in the HFAC building at BYU, it's got some cool art connected to Islam.

Sacred Geometry: A Primer

Today, how to make a spiral, there are several ways to make spirals, this is just one. I learned this from a book by Albrecht Durer, The Painter's Manual, I believe.
Start with a straight line and mark off increments. This spiral works around two points which I've labeled A and B.

Set your compass to the distance between A and B with the stationary point on A. Arc the compass until you reach the line again.

Next set the stationary point of the compass on B and set your compass until it lines up where the spiral leaves off. Arc the line until it returns to the horizontal line.

With the compass back on point A set the compass again to where the spiral leaves off.

Repeat on B and until the spiral is as big as you want.

To finish the spiral you can continue on the the same point after crossing the horizontal line.