Two Canadian tessellation artists. There aren’t that many of us. One in Ontario, the other in BC. No, we have never met, other than through social media and texting. Through these platforms we have learned about many other tessellation artists around the globe. I think Escher would have been impressed with all these artists, influenced by his work. Even corresponding, learning and collaborating with them. He would not have been alone “beyond the garden gate”*.
Which brings me to today. LASTEST UPDATE : October 05, 2023
An impromptu collaboration between the two of us, Jason Panda and Francine Champagne, that is worthy of space a bit more permanent than the 24 hour flash-frenzy/gone-the-next-day, of social media. Jason agrees that a more permanent location is a good idea for this ongoing series.
2023 — The year of the rabbit for the Chinese and Japanese calendar. I pulled out three rabbit tessellations from past years.
All of this it seems, was a spark. Then Jason suggested the challenge. It seems these three nested rabbit shapes inspired Jason. And the journey started. These tessellations and bits of words are all scattered on our respective Instagram accounts. All brought here, to make is easier for you to follow the stream. Francine Champagne on Instagram. Jason Panda on Instagram.
January 1, 2023 : Francine
2023 is the year of the #Rabbit. Here are a few rabbit #tessellations from past years. Rabbit and Chicken Farmer, Rabid Rabbits, and Don’t Swipe my Carrots. One was done in a different app than usual, it has a painterly style to it, #Amaziograph on the iPad, vs. my usual #KaleidoPaint.
Have a great year!
January 10, 2023 : Jason
2023 is the year of the rabbit. However, considering the last few years… I’m going to take more of a tortoise perspective.
And to start this journey… I thought I’d create a Tessellation in response to the wonderful collection of tessellated rabbits by @champagne.francine
February 23, 2023 : Francine
A #tessellation about the Legend of Turtle Island, tag you’re it @kwpanda , built in #symmetry group P6, one 6-way, one 3-way and one 2-way rotations, no mirrors, no glides.
March 2, 2023 : Jason
Atlas… Condemned with the weight of the world. A response to @champagne.francine and now back again!
March 8, 2023 : Francine
Celebrating International Women’s Day 2023, I present to you, in tessellation form of course, my hero “Marjorie Rice and Her Tessellating Pentagon Discoveries”. Tag Mr. Panda @kwpanda. Check the full article on my blog at tessellations dot ca
March 21, 2023 : Jason
A super personal Tessellation Tuesday!
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” – Christopher Reeve
A call and response series with @champagne.francine – Back to you!
March 23, 2023 : Francine
Hmmm, SuperPanda. Faster than a speeding bullet. #Bullettrain. And by influence of my youth, les #bandesdessinees de Jacques Lob, Le #Transperceneige. And the recent Netflix adaptation, #Snowpiercer. And then I lost my train of thought… Ricochet back to you Jason! A #tessellation in #symmetry group P6.
Check often to see our collaboration expand.
Cheers!
April 4, 2023 : Jason
It’s tessellation Tuesday!
@champagne.francine created a train… hmmm… trains go choo choo. You know what else goes choo choo?
Alright! I love it 😍, two of those own the couch here 😂
@champagne.francine and I have one here! So… I will retroactively dedicate this piece to our fluffy friends!
April 17, 2023 : Francine
Fluffy like @kwpanda ‘s dogs and cute as well. Maybe not as cuddly though.
As with most of my drawings, they start off as scribbles. But an instant of possibilities makes me pursue. I’ve seen some line that might be tweaked, stretched, some body part that might be squeezed in here or there. It’s a game of filling the space as #escher would say. Then there is the decision to be made, on how much detail should be added inside the perimeter. Sometimes, simplicity rules. Sometimes, just a few lines. Sometimes much detail, or placed over a neutral background to let it stand out.
This #hummingbird #tessellation was created using the technique taught in the “THIS WAY — THAT WAY” #symmetry group, aka Pg, my latest class on #skillshare
April 18, 2023 : Jason
It’s Tessellation Tuesday!
Inspired by @champagne.francine ’s colourful birds… I decided to jump into the deep end with the theme!
The tile shape isn’t very complicated which is how I could respond so quickly and spend more time on the colouring. It’s also a fitting topic for the call and response we’ve been exploring!
May 8, 2023 : Francine
This tessellation is based on M.C. Escher’s seahorse watercolour drawing. Giving it a bit of my interpretation/style. I’m still learning symmetry from the Master. In response to @kwpanda’s parrots with a deep dive below to the ocean floor. A symmetry method with four different four-way rotation points.
May 16, 2023 : Jason
Responding to @champagne.francine’s beautiful seahorses, I present – “See… Horse!”
May 31, 2023 : Francine
For our Call and Response #tessellation series @KWPanda , and covering two of your previous entries, just a fluke, this is the Old See Dog, sporting a signed limited edition, fashionable, Panda Parrot bandana, #pegleg and #eyepatch.
June 6, 2023 : Jason
It’s Tessellation Tuesday! For our Call and Response #tessellationseries and in response to @champagne.francine ‘s Old See Dog… I present the Pirate fleet!
June 11, 2023 : Francine
Flabbergasted tessellation:
Wasn’t really thinking about the Panda-Champagne Call and Response series. Simply an evening #doodle to chill out. Been playing around with #Zentangle #patterns — it’s a good mental challenge to try and figure out which symmetry group is present in these very cool designs. I was scribbling in symmetry group Cmm*, which consists of two different mirrors building out a square grid, and right in the middle, a two-way rotation point. La, la la, la, doodle, scribble doodle, now where did this come from? Looks atrocious and scary! A greedy green colour.
Once I stepped back from the drawing and looked at it, I realized it was indeed, in response to Jason’s pirate ships tessellation. Not much difference between pirates and thieves. Top of mind lately in many people’s radar, the cost of stuff. From filling up a gas tank ($1.97/litre today) to the eyeball popping totals at the grocery stores. #Greedflation. #Shrinkflation.
So basically, Flabbergasted is me, how I feel, this jaw-dropping stupefaction at the costs.
I really think I’ll start voicing my concerns loudly, in the stores… like the sentence that escaped my lips last week at #Superstore. “No wonder the cauliflower is only 3.99, it’s #🦭👑 * rotting already!” Imagine the noise in the store if everything in people’s heads came out by their lips.
* M.C. Escher never tackled this symmetry method, it is quite challenging.
** Go back to your high school French class to see the equivalent to a harbour seal emoji. My pun-master brother came up with the crown emoji for “king”.
June 20, 2023 : Jason
This prison break is a response to the thieves and the freeing art of doodling explored by @champagne.francine
It’s also dedicated to the students and teachers as you wrap up the year and escape the system… at least until September. Enjoy the break! Be free!
A double from Jason, June 27, 2023
Building off last week’s tessellation I thought I’d keep exploring characters in action.
This one’s already on the attack… armed with a sword, nunchucks and a ninja star to capture some of the negative space.
July 2, 2023 : Francine
Double feature matinée, both #actionmovies : Prison Break and Chucking Nuns, a #tessellation in a staggered stack. Part of the call and response series with Mr. Panda. Symmetry Cm, parallel and alternating glide and mirror. 😎
July 4, 2023 : Jason
Another Tessellation Tuesday!
@champagne.francine took us to the movies with her last tessellation and, in response… I focused on one of my favourites!
It’s also an homage to Back to the Future on Broadway… that I’ll be seeing in 2 weeks!
July 19, 2023 : Francine
Cats or Cats the Musical which we saw in Montréal, at about the same time as Back to the Future . Flip it around to see the dual use of the eyeball and chin/ear. Symmetry Pmg or 22*, I like to call it “Foosball”. Parallel mirrors with alternating 2-way rotations in between, (an implied glide according to the latest version of KaleidoPaint). If you zoom out it ends up looking like knitting (second image).
July 25, 2023 : Jason
In response to the plethora of cats by @champagne.francine I decided to go down the food chain and explore: Birds!
Not to be confused by my last post (Bird)… this one is an homage to the Hitchcock classic.
August 4, 2023 : Francine
Split-Beard the #Viking, still continuing in the cinema vein we (Mr. Panda and myself) seem to have taken. This cleaned-up scruffy warrior clearly appropriates customs from the lands he has invaded. Tea anyone? Maybe a #dragon#chai ? This #tessellation built in a staggered stacks #symmetry. Have a great long weekend! Check the second image for the single extract of the character.
August 29, 2023 : Jason
Happy Tessellation Tuesday!
It’s been awhile since I’ve responded to @champagne.francine‘s tessellation because I’ve been trying to figure out which movie I should focus on!
A classic? Something new? What genre? Should it be an action? comedy? Maybe I should watch movies to be inspired… hmmm… what should I watch? So many options. And which streaming service? Or should I dust off the DVDs? Oh… and I’m going to need popcorn… Oh shoot no popcorn? I’ll need to go shopping. Should I get something for dinner? Or I could go out… Mmmm… Nachos. What was I doing again?
Squirrel!
September 3, 2023 : Francine
Not squirrely, but Swirly #Swans#tessellation. @kwpanda for our call and response series. A #symmetry group I hadn’t tackled in a while, 3 different rotations.
September 7, 2023 : Jason
In response to @champagne.francine‘s swirly swans… I present… (pause for trumpet fanfare!)… a duck.
“One feels like a duck splashing around in all this wet! And when one feels like a duck, one is happy!” – John Mulaney
Oh dear, it’s my turn. No ducks, I’ve already done 18 rubber duckies. You’ll just have to wait and see.
September 18, 2023 : Francine
Convergence of inspirations. Images of #RubberDuckies visiting a pond, in Ontario and in Alberta, with #BaskingTurtles competing for space on a floating log in BC. This, in response to ( @kwpanda ) Jason’s #tessellation of #duckies , my Basking Turtles Tessellation. The challenge of mirrors in tessellations, making things not look like rigid bilateral symmetry. Here, a reflection in the water instead.
For that photo of the basking turtles on the log, I did search online for the photographer’s name, alas, I did not find the source. Let me know if it’s yours. Such a perfect reflection.
Enjoy the duck butts @kwpanda !
October 3, 2023 : Jason It’s Tessellation Tuesday!
Last time @champagne.francine created a wonderful collection of basking turtles reflecting in the water.
In response to the ‘reflecting’… and the turtles (which were present in my first tessellation of this series!) I decided to reflect and revisit one of my earlier tessellations that I never quite finished.
So here are my colourful seahorses… along with my first version I created a year ago.
October 5, 2023 : Francine
Enough water creature #tessellations, I’m switching to #wine #redwine ! Thank you again to @kimbainbridgephotography for the inspiration! All two dozen tessellations in this ongoing Call and Response series with @kwpanda are posted together, in order, right here : http://www.tessellations.ca
* Footnote from above * “…beyond the garden gate”: In mathematical quarters, the regular division of the plane has been considered theoretically. … [Mathematicians] have opened the gate leading to an extensive domain, but they have not entered this domain themselves. By their very nature they are more interested in the way in which the gate is opened than in the garden lying behind it.
M.C. Escher
A Canadian Tessellation Tag Team!