Tuesday, 15 December 2020

Showing us the elements

 



15-12-20

showing us the elements ~ Ive been looking to pin this down & this is a valuable lead (for me).


Raven Mail: Tlingit Artist Designs Stunning Stamp for U.S. Postal Service.




Carol Jenkins O'Neill

This is the totem my sister embroidered for me 50 years age based on Pacific Northwest tribal designs. I have always love their magical work.

Thanks Carol, I used to have loads of images, but at a click cant seem to find stuff on-line. Its pictures from light and ripples in the water as swirling globular shapes.

I thought it was Innuit stuff, but I have another name to look up - when I get half a minuit!

Edwah O'Neill

It would be a nice tattoo on the right surface



Denise Smith

Love these designs. I purchased a silk screen print of a multiple bear design when I visited a Salish tribal community in Northwest Washington State a number of years back

(to) Denise Smith designs, observations, both practical and not coming from patterns in the water. Forty odd years ago, whilst still at college I realy got into eskimos they were the flavour of the early 70's in London. I was doing mainly landcape work, often looking downward, often into mesmerising patterns in water. They fitted together nicely - and of course there were many examples to choose from. Sadly not so easy to find specific stuff today!

If you can help a bit, it would be much appreciated!

Denise Smith

 Taking a cue from you about patterns in water I'll explain a bit about what I'm understanding and always revising (fine tuning) about my artistic approach. My design sense seems to work out on surface patterns in clay vs. other materials (tho I may try block printing). These ideas become a persons 'voice', what we seem to crave to get out of our heads to connect with the world. I am drawn to the expression of patterns that have areas that are interchangeable between positive and negative that in turn may create movement. They could be either one. The ideas or expressions come about by visual observation seeking intuitive designs--not preconceived. Having the willingness to explore without knowing the outcome. A 'what if I try this or that and see what happens' approach. The word meaning 'tessellation' has been helpful to me (and the artist M.C. Escher). I'm looking more towards geometric but not with a focus on hard edge. Makes me feel like I have a math brain without being impeded by mathematical formulas. Hope this is somewhat clear for what I wish to say to you. Not easy to explain when we are not face to face. You may be looking at water as an influence overlay for your ideas in a similar way.

Martin Humphries
interchangable pos. & neg. can certainly come into the equasion! And this of course fits in with the water patterns.

I'll see if I can find an image of an old maroon & deep cad yellow one from S. India (many moons ago)

I did some tesselation work with groupes of eight year olds but didn't get far down that track.

I'll try and think a bit more on this ~ I just love defining things!



Denise Smith
 Love a dialog. Definition is elusive and explorable. There used to be a computer program on-line helping to create many versions of tessellation created by some Canadian mathematicians. They never updated it for Mac computer upgrades so it doesn't work anymore. Haven't checked recently to see if another version is out there. I like Islamic tile patterns because they use often use complex tessellation. This is one of my porcelain pieces with simple pos/neg design altered to give it life beyond a checkerboard pattern. Another exploration: what if I altered straight lines what would it become. Hope you can find the old image you mentioned. Interesting approach you have with water patterns/reflections. Has that been a life-long quest?

Martin Humphries
not a quest, but its always been there ~ I'll get back.



Martin Humphries
 An afternoon at the zoo, Mysore 93.

Denise Smith
Love it, very interesting shapes. Another one of mine bought by a gallery curator in NYC who was interested in Russian Constructivist art. Guess this reminded him of that period in art history.



Martin Humphries
thats a beauty! I'll see if I can find some tile influenced stuff from Istanbul - - -

more to do with the edges



and matchboxes! - I'm trying to find paintings linked to tiles. but on the Islamic thing I was really influenced in Kashmir by "domestic wood carvers" I drank salt tea with them in the afternoon for about 3 months - my work certainly reflected or was grounded from that craftwork.

Denise Smith
Lucky you to have had first hand experiences to treasure, recall and draw upon. Some of my influences come from the Bauhaus and the Early Arts and Crafts movement in the US, British and Asian potters like Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada and other cutting edge potters, plus DADA, Niki de Saint Phalle, early experimental photography, and so much more...but from books and museums. Not enough years of life to take in all that speaks to us. Again, lucky you.

Denise Smith
Tile patterns do grow by the edges.

Martin Humphries
Denise, Its funny, I'm not always aware on which practical direction I am travelling in.
This one went slowly but surely into the middle from the outside!



Denise Smith
 Organically grown with whatever movement feels natural and right at the time. It seems to be mxing right to left and left to right and right side up and upside down spirals. What were you exploring with this one?

Martin Humphries
It became right side up in the last third of the process ~ "process" was what I was exploring here I suppose.
Only to find that when I doodle ( compositionaly!) I tend not to aim from the centre out.
i.e. base it around one characteur which is the star of the affair ~ not particularly thinking about "star beings".


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