What you do not see...

I am going to write a bit about something that you may not see, but often exists, in my work - math.

I consider the mathematics of art when I am laying out a composition, experimenting with perspective or playing with balance, proportion, shape, symmetry and/or harmony.

Sometimes I will go against the rules of math to create dissonance or imbalance. This can energize the work or make it more unsettling.

Much could be written about mathematical influences in art and mathematical ways to trick the eye into experiencing perspective however, for the purposes of this short blog, I will focus on how I consider the golden ratio. The golden ratio, also known as the golden mean or divine proportion, approximately equals 1.618. The golden ratio is found when a line is divided into two parts so that the long part divided by the short part is also equal to the whole length divided by the long part. This can be a bit confusing to read but it makes good sense when it is represented algebraically (see example below). For more related reading on the golden ratio, check out my blog post on Mathematical Marvels.

So, if my composition is to be divided, I often do so according to the golden ratio where the longer length is 1.618 times the length of the shorter length. I have no compelling reason to do this other than an adherence to the belief that these proportions are reputed to be more pleasing to the eye. There is a lot of reading that can be done about this subject (just Google ‘golden ratio and art’). Some of it seems pretty far fetched. Still, there is little randomness to math or nature.

Woman in lawn chair with pop bottles, oil on cradled wood panel, 16” x 16”