Motifs
Pattern recognition and identification is
the essential work of neurons. Physicists speak of “regularities”—those
groupings of matter in the fabric of existence that take shapes
which we identify and name. A flower, a ball, a bird, and so on
and so on. And then these regularities join together, and they
move
about and around each other in interesting ways that we recognize
as pattern.
This is something that I love: exploring pattern, creating pattern,
putting elements and colors and shapes together into patterns, and
each time doing something different.
The patterns I am most interested in are those that exist underneath
the obvious. And what I mean by that is this: There is a tradition
of pattern making that uses grids and repeats, where the position
of the element is pre-determined (most printed fabrics are designed
this way). And then, in more “primitive” cultures a pattern
is simply and intuitively painted, from one corner or end to the
other, eventually covering the surface in an apparently random
fashion.
But when you stand back from the surface underlying patterns emerge.
This is the type of pattern making that I am interested in. When
I draw on wood for a carving, I simply begin, directly on the wood,
and draw from one end to another, or from the center out. There
are underlying rules of balance, harmony and movement that exist
in each piece, and yet no two can ever be the same. Just like two
roses, or two human beings.
This page of motifs is here not as samples
to choose from, for in the way I work no two pieces can ever be
the same- but as a
way
to get started, and to trigger more ideas. Certain elements certainly
can be incorporated again, because we all are disposed to love
certain
things: flowers, or particular animals, or even shapes and colors-but
in each case the combinations will be unique. The diversity is
what
makes life and art so wonderful—HR |
