Painting Patterns

For far-flung friends who want to keep up with the current class Painting Patterns, here is a sketch of the trajectory the class is taking. Using the "hunter-gatherer" style of research as an ignition point for painting inquiry, here's a way to start:

I saw this illustration in Archibald Christie's Pattern Design. The second border from the left caught my eye. I changed the orientation and on the first try (on the bottom below), I failed to see nuances; second try (on top below) was closer:

(Written text is quoted from Christie.)

As I go along in Christie, I find other examples of this same pattern (sketched below) – a carved stone capital from Assyria, a vase from Glastonbury – then it reminds me of something I've seen before, a border design from Zia Pueblo (painted in red ochre below):

By drawing it, I discover the Zia border design is actually a picture of the space around the Greek pattern! And vice versa.

The first instructions – curiosity, that briefest moment of Oh!, and drawing. Consider that mistakes in drawing are evidence of aesthetic intelligence. Drawing and mistakes we make help us see better.

We're using gouache (opaque watercolor) in class for painting sketched designs in color; later we'll switch to acrylic for larger paintings inspired by our research.