Yes, another mountain biker. But this one drawn in symmetry system P6, that’s one 6-point rotation, one 3-point rotation and one 2-point rotation. Have a careful look at those bike wheels. They are being shared by multiple bikers. Bike Sharing, very popular these days.
I will be showing some tessellation prints at the Board Game House in Nanaimo, for the next two months. Hanging of the artwork is October 28, 2017 – the show concludes at the end of December. Come see. Widen your perception of the fine line between art and math. Stretch your imagination with a bit of geometry, symmetry. Humor and funny characters too. Continue reading
One Tessellation a Day, for 30 Days! Ya, right.
I thought maybe it would be a cool idea to challenge myself to do a tessellation a day for 30 days. Maybe in a few decades when my teacup is not overflowing.
I must point out the difference between a tessellation and a pattern, as in cloth, tiles or wallpaper. They both use the same symmetry rules for filling space. But in the case of tessellations, your aim is to reduce negative space, empty areas, to zero. Where every single square inch is used up by a recognizable figure. Continue reading
The size of the audience for this type of art-form is microscopically small. When you start talking about your tessellation passion, someone inevitably says, “Ah ya you do that stuff”. From decades ago, “oh ya, I remember your drawings”. Other than family and friends putting up with your gushing obsession, you’re lucky to have a handful of patrons. Math teachers, grade school kids, and a few geometry nerds don’t constitute a large client base, lol. Continue reading
It has taken a while for me to let go of the expensive Adobe Photoshop, to complete my tessellations. Quite a bit of research and testing to figure out which iPad app was the best for my purposes. Pixelmator wins on all fronts. It does what no other single app accomplishes, Continue reading
The MC Escher show, now in Madrid was supposed to end two days ago. Good news! It has been extended to September 24th. Check it out if you happen to be in the area. Palacio Gaviria on Calle Del Arenal. A spectacular venue. Cheers! Continue reading
Below is the original OmegaBoy sketch, drawn four and a half years ago already. Since I found the KaleidoPaint app, I’ve come up with about one nested shape a week, that’s over 250 tessellations, fully interlocking designs. It must be an obsession! Still much to learn. Never stop learning. Continue reading
I had a quick look through all of my #tessellations from the past years and came up with a list of 30 “Family-Friendly” topics. Most of these are from the animal kingdom. Safe topics for the kids. And many kids encounter the art of tessellations either through their art class or their math class in grade school. They relate to the art style quite well. Continue reading
There is a very cool feature in iOrnament, the app animates the steps used to create your #tessellations. It is interesting to see the path used to achieve the end result; not always a straight line. I think #MCEsher would have been fascinated! Continue reading
A new App called “iO Crafter” on the iPad has just come out, from Jürgen Richter-Gebert. Using it to deform into spirals is where my interest lies. As well, it has other functions to deform your images: build a platonic solid; build a kaleidocycle; view a kaleidoscope; hyperbolic kaleidoscope; and conformal maps. Continue reading
My print “Fifi at the Salon” shows up in this video by Acerca Comunicación, photos by Jésus Varillas. The show is on in Madrid, till June 25th, 2017.
I’ve resisted for a long time to recolour my #tessellation drawings. They are after all, supposed to be identical tiles by their true definition. In my opinion, it is good to have a bit of a challenge in deciphering a tessellation. Continue reading
If you are fortunate enough to be in Madrid this spring, do go and visit the M.C.Escher exhibition. The venue, Gaviria Palace, I have read and seen, is absolutely amazing.
Tessellations by Francine Champagne 