32 posts tagged “patterns”
Oliver Sacks has an article in the NYT today that talks about the patterns that are associated with migraines. Here's a little excerpt:
"In my own migraine auras, I would sometimes see — vividly with closed eyes, more faintly and transparently if I kept my eyes open — tiny branching lines, like twigs, or geometrical structures covering the entire visual field: lattices, checkerboards, cobwebs, and honeycombs. Sometimes there were more elaborate patterns, like Turkish carpets or complex mosaics; sometimes I saw scrolls and spirals, swirls and eddies; sometimes three-dimensional shapes like tiny pine cones or sea urchins.
Such patterns, I found, were not peculiar to me, and years later, when I worked in a migraine clinic, I discovered that many of my patients habitually saw such patterns." -- from Patterns, by Oliver Sacks
Sacks discusses how many other physical conditions can produce geometric hallucinations: sensory deprivation, low blood sugar, fever, delirium, or the hypnopompic and hypnagogic states that come immediately before and after sleep.
I've experienced some of these patterns, particularly when I'm drifting off to sleep. I've seen some beautiful patterns, interesting enough that they almost pushed me to full awakening. I've thought, "What a great combination of colors. I'll have to remember that tomorrow." And of course, I can never remember.
Sacks then ties the migraine patterns to patterns that have been represented in art across cultures, times and disciplines--painting, weaving, tile work, basketry, architecture--and wonders whether these similar geometric patterns could have all been inspired by internal brain organization.
It's a fascinating article. I've always been drawn to organized forms, repetitive images, patterns of shape and color. Perhaps I've been tapping into a larger historical or biological system of organization, made tangible by artists throughout time.
I drew these on the plane back from Dallas. Then today I made a lovely vegetable soup with mushrooms, and was reminded of those I drew.
I've done a bunch of new drawings for my patterns, but haven't had the chance to scan/trace/manipulate them to my satisfaction. I'll try to get that done tomorrow. I'm getting a little behind, and I don't like it.
I've been kinda into helices lately. (The answer to my question posed yesterday, "Is 'helixes' even a word?" is no, for those of you who care.)
Once again I take my inspiration from Henry's doodling on his school papers. Here is his drawing, which is not exactly a classic herringbone, but certainly looks like it. He didn't know what herringbone was until I told him.
I also took the liberty of scanning the front of Henry's schoolwork page, because I thought it was quite amusing. Especially the last answer. He gave me permission to use it, although he didn't really understand why I would want to.
This morning Henry had his audition at DSA. He woke up in a foul humor and didn't want to go to the interview. Fortunately, Anne came by and gave him a very nice pep talk, and then Gay also talked to him and helped him settle down a little, so by the time we left for the audition he was feeling better and more positive. As is our wont, we were scrambling to pull everything together and I was punching holes and taping pages of his portfolio together in the car. We got to the school about 4 minutes early, walked in, and the video arts assistant came out of the room and said, "Henry? We're ready for you." So he went right in and didn't have time to wait and worry, which was probably good.
It was hard to get much information out of Henry without some serious prodding, but it does sound like the interview went fairly well. He said he was shaking throughout, and so his voice sounded funny. Apparently the judges hardly looked at his portfolio. They asked him whether he got good grades and he said, "Yes, but this year they're not as great because the curriculum sucks and my teacher is mean." At least that answer shows he was being himself. We're all glad to have it over with....too much stress for a 12 year old! He won't find out whether he is accepted or not until next month. We don't even know how many openings there are for 7th grade. Most kids begin in 6th.
Here's the pattern of the day. Little boxes.
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
This stanza of the very long Lewis Carroll poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter" was recited pretty frequently in my household when I was growing up. Every time someone would say "the time has come," someone else, usually my mother, would launch into the rest of the lines. To this day I can't hear that phrase without automatically thinking of shoes and ships and sealing wax, and cabbages and kings. I do know now that it's "sealing wax," rather than "ceiling wax."
Something else I've retained from childhood is my fascination with the amazing patterns found in nature: the subdivided segments of a lime, the organized seeds of a pomegranate, the undulating layers of a cabbage. Hence today's pattern, inspired by a cabbage recently halved and turned into fish tacos by my husband, who is the chef of the household.
Unfortunately, I drew the sketch for my cabbage from memory, and now that I see the photo, I realize that I could have done a much better sketch. Oh well, maybe another day. Or maybe I'll make my peace with the fact that this is an interpretive endeavor. Without further ado....
T H E P A T T E R N O F T H E D A Y 1 / 1 0 / 0 8
A few interpretations of yes, cabbages.
Today I'm experimenting with the lowly stripe. Stripes are actually very hard to do well. The first image here (StripeLines) is the final version of a stripe I designed to go with my first two baby bedding sets. I think I worked for a week on just this stripe, which was used on the crib skirt, the valance, the lamp, and the diaper stacker thing. I was trying to get every possible color into the stripe so it could be used with a variety of sets, and as a result, it's a little much -- I have the same kind of feeling about it as when I've added one too many ingredients to a soup.
So for today's pattern, I took the basic lines of that stripe (fig. 2, RawLines) and then treated them in different ways, including stretching them out, filling them with color, and using them just as lines rather than shapes.
Well, I worked on yesterday's pattern more today, so I'm going to post the variations now. Then I'll post my REAL (ie. new) pattern of the day later tonight.
Henry helped me with this cityscape today. As usual, he had some very specific ideas about how it should look. I used one of the new tiny pens that I got Ted for Christmas, and was fairly pleased with how the thin little lines scanned. I want to do some more options using different layers of color, but not tonight.
