Thursday, August 3, 2017

The Shortest Distance

I got to reflecting on how today's paintings came to be, and found myself thinking about the idea that "the shortest distance between two points is a straight line" which in turn led me to the internet where I was entertained by the following as part of an evaluation of the shortest-distance-straight-line theorem:


I(y)=x1x21+(y)2dx,
at which point I promptly jumped ship on Euclidian proofs and math altogether.

I painted postcards today. My starting point was actually an exploration I did in December 2015. At that time, my first pass on paper took me here:

.

About a week after that, and after playing with the piece further, I cut my exploration into quadrants, one of which I cut into many smaller bits that became this piscine portrait,

,

and the other three of which fell by the wayside until I rediscovered them with delight last weekend while looking for something else. In the past few days I played with them until they became a series of postcards.

Straight line?

Short distance?

Whatever!

The Freedom to Ask Questions
4x5", acrylic and pastels on paper,
mounted on manila stock
abstract
2017
[gift]
The Freedom to Sing
4x5", acrylic, pastels, collage, and ink on paper,
mounted on manila stock
abstract
2017
[gift]
The Freedom to Talk to Yourself
4x5", acrylic, pastels, collage, and ink on paper,
mounted on manila stock
abstract
2017
[gift]


11 comments:

carol edan said...

I JUST love your stories! And I LOVE that B&W piece although it has changed and long gone. It is so strong and demanding a very strong statement! What a wonderful use of repetitions in the fish.

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Thanks for your unbridled enthusiasm for my stories, Carol. Fun for me to know you enjoy them. I fell in love with the b&w piece, too. Did you follow the link to read that I instantly became attached even though I then developed and changed it? If you want to read the story of the fish, you can find it at 12/28/15.

Lola (Jen Jovan) said...

I am delighted every time you describe the circuitous path your thoughts take while creating. It draws me in to your process and then to the art, which tickles my fancy. And the titles!!!!! Always perfect.

Laurie Mueller said...

Funny! You got me thinking , "hmmmmm, I say to myself.....do I take the shortest or longest route?" If it's something I enjoy, the math can go jump in the lake! I Love these colorful postcards and I especially love that fish!

carol edan said...

Yes I read that you got attached and now read the one of the fish. By the way I always use chromatic black and mix some fabulous grays. My standard mix is Ultramarine and raw umber, I will however try some of her other recipes! I have been cutting and sorting pieces from some magazines but haven't done anything with them.

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Jen, thanks for the terrific/welcome/helpful feedback on my inner process-to-art connection, and I'm pleased to hear that you take note of and enjoy my titles. woo hoo!

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Laurie, thanks for your comments. The math of the shortest or longest route doesn't much cross my mind in the moments of painting, but I do often notice after the fact whether a piece flowed especially quickly and easily or if it unfolded more circuitously and over a stretch of time (sometimes months). Happy to hear that the postcards and fish struck your fancy : )

Katie Jeanne Wood said...

Oh, man..I woulda jumped that math ship, too. Math was always my least favorite subject. Ick. Put a $ in front of the numbers, and I can do math. Otherwise, why would anyone want to? lol Love love love the abstracts, girl!!

dotty seiter: now playing said...

$elective math aptitude!

Thanks for the thumbs up for the abstracts, Katie!

Sheila said...

You lost me at "I", LOL :) I remember this colorful little creature, so very Dotty FUN! Love the newbies, and I sense a subliminal mathematical rhythm to them. Happy trails to you Dotty! (Oh and yeah, your titles are always awesome!)

dotty seiter: now playing said...

LOL at your saying I lost you at "I"!!! If there is a subliminal mathematical rhythm to this series it's REALLY sub! Glad you enjoy my titles. Thanks as ever for your comments, Sheila. And, to respond to something you said yesterday, I think at YOUR blog, it IS amazing that we haven't know each for quite two years—seems WAY longer, doesn't it? And happily so.

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