Phi on Us!

Our workshop with the Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts was a success! Every time I present these ideas, someone comes out with a new twist. Thanks to all the AIEA Visual Arts staff: Durinda, Margaret, Sally, James and Donald – and all the wonderfully talented and positive teachers in our group – I believe there will be some new approaches to teaching some of the same ol’ subjects. Of course there’s always art for art’s sake, too!

What is Phi? (rhymes with “fly”) Besides being the 21st letter in the Greek Alphabet, it expresses the ratio 1:1.618… which is found in so many places of the natural world. I can’t say more, or I’ll never stop!

It’s Still Golden

M.C Escher • Hand with Fir Cone, 1921. Woodcut   (Overlay of Golden Ration calipers by TCS)

My interest in the Golden Ratio continues to be such an enjoyable part of my teaching life. I am excited to present today, to teachers participating in the Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts’ professional development workshop for visual arts, some new findings about how M.C. Escher and Mondrian used this compositional principle in their work. We will also be forging new territory in a studio lesson related to the Fibonacci spiral. I can’t wait to see how these creative teachers integrate math and art in their art making and their teaching. Stay tuned for pictures!

Crossing the Line

I have been having a very meditative few days making these crosses. The form is engaging, and I am brought back to the time my friend, Julie, and I invented the concept of “4G.” This was way before the cell phone companies began calling bandwidth by the same name. For us 4G stood for Four Girls. We each had two daughters, and cross-making was a way for us to get together and think about what might be best for all four of them. When I find the complete description of that endeavor I will post it. Meanwhile here’s a group shot.  They are 2″ high and 1″ wide: pendant size.