Showing posts with label Divine Proportion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Divine Proportion. Show all posts

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Glow in a Glass

Lemon Glow digital photography
Last week, this glass of water with a slice of lemon caught my eye as I sat resting my feet towards the end of fun wedding reception I was attending and out came my camera as I clicked away merrily catching the glow in the glass. The digital camera with its ability to preview helped me play with the composition and settings until I was satisfied.

Check out some beautiful photographs in the online exhibit of Princeton University's Art of Science 2010 Gallery. Since the first exhibit in 2005, Art of Science showcases stunning and simply amazing photographs that were captured in the process of scientific research and not as 'art for art's sake'. The web site says that the 45 winning images from 115 submissions from 20 departments by students, faculty, research staff and alumni were 'chosen for their aesthetic excellence as well as their scientific or technical interest.' This year's theme is "Energy." And of course, according to an article in physorg.com the odd amounts in 'cash prizes were derived according to the Golden Ratio a mathematical proportion that has been found in aethetically pleasing designs from seashells to Ancient Greek Temples" Be sure to check their archives of previous years' exhibits for some most extraordinary and stunningly beautiful images.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Golden Spiral

Last week when I was on my way to a friend's house, I came across a small garden full of sunflowers and was surprised they were already in full bloom. I had been reading "Divine Proportion- PHI in Art, Nature and Science" by Priya Hemenway and drawing the 'golden spiral,' studying the use of golden-angle, -proportion, -section, -ratio, -rectangle, etc. in composition in art through the ages. I am fascinated by how pineapple, sunflowers, daisies and strawberries appear to form two systems of spirals radiating from the center - a pattern created by Fibonacci numbers. On further research, I discovered that "The fibonacci numbers are named after Leonardo of Pisa, known as Fibonacci, although they had been described earlier in India. The Fibonacci numbers first appeared under the name 'matrameru' (mountain of cadence), in the work of Sanskrit grammarian Pingala (Chandah-sastra, the Art of Prosody, 450 or 200 BC). Prosody was important in ancient Indian ritual because of an importance of the purity of utterance. The Indian mathematician Virahanka (6th century AD) showed how the 'Fibonacci' sequence arose in the analysis of meters with long and short syllables. Subsequently the Jain philosopher Hemachandra(c.1150) composed a well known text on these. A commentary on Virahanka by Gopala in the 12th c. also revisits the problem in some detail." WOW! In a strange coincidence, there is also a site called 'Sunflower Revolution', which does fundraising for Parkinson's and has links to latest research etc. Ever since my Dad was diagnosed with it I go there in search of information.

So, I decided it was time to post this painting 'Sunflowers' (12x10") in watercolors and water color pencils. It was painted from a still life set up. I like the way the colors in flowers turned out. I would like to paint another with only the bloom when the lone sunflower plant our back yard blooms.

Sunflower 12x10" watercolor and watercolor pencils.
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