Only Leave a Trace - Launch

 May 2 in Camrose:

May 3 in Edmonton:

April - Pairing

 

This month I have the painting and the geometric design pairing ready to go at the same time. The scarf is from Spain. I went on a solo journey there in 2005. It was my first time travelling on my own and my first time in Spain. There were so many street vendors with so many options, and I had very limited space in my backpack for collecting; the colours of this scarf attracted me enough to buy it and to carry it home.

I thought April might be more spring-like than has actually transpired here, so this scarf and the colours are more inspirational for the season than actual. 

6" x 6" (15cm x 15cm) oil on board

6" x 6" (15cm x 15cm) paper

Radiating Almond Shapes

This design approximates the decoration in the Lotfallah Mosque Dome in Ispaphan, Iran.

First, the compass work:

After converting the squares into almond shapes:

Chartres North Rose Window - on paper

Here are the geometrical workings of the Chartres North Rose Window:

Closer up:

Here it is cleaned up a bit:

And with some simple colour. Not quite as grand as the original, but the parts are there.

Pairing - 3 (March)

Pairing - 2 (February)

Pairing February:

Pairing - 1 (January)

2017 is the year of the scarf project as well as the year I have undertaken to learn something about Islamic geometric design. The proof of this has been presented here. From the beginning I ruminated on how the two might interact. I thought about drawing a geometric design on top of the scarf painting, but my control of the compass being what it is (not impeccable) and my hesitancy to crowd already small paintings held me back. I let the idea ferment for a while. Meanwhile, I learned and practiced more complicated designs. I followed the lesson rules carefully. I made designs with cut paper. Then I had an idea. I could make pairings of paintings with geometric designs; make that slightly liberated geometric designs. Both pieces are the same size (6" x 6"), and share a colour scheme and ambience. 

Once again, January: