Sacred Geometry: A Primer

So on Friday I had the opportunity to go to this workshop with Dr. Lisa DeLong. I was really excited for this workshop because it was about geometry, because I've gotten to hear Lisa DeLong before and because she got her doctorate at the Prince's School of Traditional Arts and she now teaches there. It was indeed a good workshop, probably what I was most excited about was getting instructions and cheat sheets (if you will) for some patterns based on four, eight and a seal of Salomon.
I really liked something that she said, she was talking about how with a compass and a straight edge you can make about anything in geometry because when you connect or overlap circles, straight lines become possible and from there the possibilities are endless.
She also talked about how rules or laws, rather than being restricting as is commonly thought, can open up all sorts of possibilities, I agree, in fact that's sort of what my series Hex is all about. These are three of several examples of variations on the same design/pattern.

Untitled
Watercolor and Sumi Ink
9x9in
2011
Series: Hex

Untitled/Pattern
Watercolor and Sumi ink
9x9in
2011
Series: Hex

Untitled
watercolor and sumi ink
9x9 in
2011
Series: Hex

PS You should also check out this lecture on the Beauty and Belief exhibit.

Piece of the Week

untitled

sumi ink

9x9in

2009

I did this piece and some others the first summer after I graduated and at the time I was a bit disappointed with my efforts, but looking back at them now I like their simplicity. Also a note, you may notice that the piece is rather wrinkly, that's why generally when using water based media, you should use a watercolor block or stretch/tape down your paper.

Genesis

This piece was inspired from the same place as last week's piece. It's a bit more of an abstract take on the idea I suppose. The winged circle is based on Egyptian art/symbols I believe it either represents a sun-god or just the sun.

Divided From Darkness
watercolor
9x9in
2012
Series: Genesis

Piece of the Week

I was really excited about this piece when I was making it and then didn't love it so much when it was done. I was really excited by the possibilities to the pattern and really I suppose it's more of a pattern study than a finished piece. After giving it some time I've decided I do like it and I'm still really excited about the pattern and how it sort of changes depending on what you focus on.

 Watercolor and Sumi ink
9x9in
2011
Series: Hex

I was going through older posts and found this picture from the National Museum in Rome and I think I'll be making my own version of the design in this mosaic.

Tools of the Trade

For this week's tool of the trade is another tool that I use when I watercolor. Sumi ink is used in Asian calligraphy and painting and I probably spelled it wrong. I'll be honest, I really don't know much about Sumi and the history, etc. it has. Sumi was recommended to me by my mentor when I was looking for a good black to use in my watercolors. I use it pretty much like a watercolor, except it comes in a stick so I have to sort of grind it into the water to make a paint, that may or may not be correct technique. I really should try to learn more about sumi but none the less, it's a tool I use.

Piece of the Week

For this week the piece is the most recent from the Genesis series. I hadn't been quite sure how to do the gray part of the painting but I somehow got the idea to make it cloud-like and I really love how it turned out.

Divided From Darkness
Watercolor and Sumi ink
9x9in
2012
Series: Genesis

Piece of the Week

Welcome to March and piece of the week. March promises to be a very busy month with all sorts of opportunities and deadlines approaching. This week's piece of the week may have been on the blog before, it's from my senior/final show at BYU.

Sea of Glass II
Sumi
2009
Series: Mysteries
photo by David Hawkinson