The universe is genuinely unitized and mathematical. Natural beauty is inextricably conspicuous in minute units, massive aggregates, and the math that explains universal truths. My work exists at an intersection of nature, math and art. I use the technology at hand to generate naturalistic images. There's a bit of geometry, always discrete units and assemblage in designing with code. I often draw by programming because it facilitates elaborating and organizing small units into large systems homologous to natural beauty. My work is a systematic exploration of beauty.
I was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and received my BFA from the University of Texas. I've worked as a software engineer, systems analyst, illustrator and web developer. I've lived in Portland, Oregon since 2006.
A blog: more documentation, comments, and brief looks at new projects.
Digital drawings plotting geometric shapes within a grid, similar to plane symmetry or wallpaper groups, but with a primitive cell generated by a Small Program.
This project started as an article on the generalization of three properties of the golden rectangle, and it has led to a series of spiral-like prints and paintings. The article describes a process for generating two sequences of rectangles, ratios, and number sequences that share mathematical properties with the golden rectangle, the golden ratio, and the Fibonacci numbers. The prints and digital drawings of progressive spiral-like images are generated from an Adobe Flash program developed for the project.
The first sequence of rectangles and spiral-like images is based on the silver means. The process described generalizes the golden ratio by inserting m in the golden ratio formula: (a+b)/(a-mb) = a/b, where m is 0, 1, 2, 3... The second sequence generalizes the golden ratio by inserting m in the golden ratio formula: (a + mb)/ma = a/b, or the alternative version of the same formula: b/(a-b/m) = a/b, where m is a power of 2: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16... Neither of these sequences creates a true spiral because true spirals require that points along the spiral move away from a fixed center at a specific rate.
The project includes Adobe Flash programs to generate arbitrarily dimensioned rectangles and spirals, as well as spirals within squares.
This project is a study of cubes and cabtaxi number digital drawings intended as concepts for sculpture. A cabtaxi number is the smallest positive integer that is the sum of two positive or negative integers from n different sums.
This print project is a rule-based design system generating plots with the coprimes drawing tool. It explores modified plots of relative primes or coprimes. The program calculates cells colors within an X-Y grid based on the greatest common divisor of row and column numbers.
Between 1951 and 1953, Ellsworth Kelly worked on "Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance". Using a 38 by 38 grid he randomly distributed 18 colors, except half are black. Studies for the painting show a range of color schemes.
This project is a continuation and modification of the plots developed with the coprimes drawing tool. It explores modified plots of greatest common divisors. The program plots pairs of integers as cells within an X-Y grid, and colors them against a background based on the greatest common divisor of the results of a pair of formulas in which the column and row number figure.
This project is a continuation of the GCD project. It explores modified plots of greatest common divisors in an arc shape. It also includes an animated plot.
These paintings and drawings were developed with the interactive drawing tool, exploring multiple views using a custom, two-point perspective drawing program.
These digital drawings were developed with the interactive drawing tool, using the two-point perspective drawing function, and the image importing function.
This is a web-based drawing program with multiple eccentric functions including brush, ribbon, splat, grid, wireframe, plot, and perspective. It is an Adobe Flash ActionScript program. It was developed with linear and trigonometric functions to create interactive drawing tools sometimes perturbed by random number generation.
This program explores frieze patterns as pen or brush-like tools. Drawings with complex, patterning tools were developed with the interactive drawing tool. Frieze patterns follow the drawing stroke — curving, twisting, contracting, overlapping. The project is called wireframes because the pattern outlines appear as curving friezes in space, seldom as flat friezes. Often the frieze pattern is obscured. The program extends the mathematical concept of a frieze group; allows scaling along the horizontal axis; curving and redirection of the horizontal axis; and, the ability to modify the repeating pattern programmatically.
This project takes the mathematical concept of a frieze group and extends it, developing a drawing program that warps, stretches, and morphs frieze patterns — operations that are not allowed in the mathematical classification of frieze patterns.
These paintings and drawings are among the first developed with the interactive drawing tool. They explore parallel lines, benefiting from the anomalies of an imperfect ribbon drawing tool.
