Essential Patterns of Perception
This series depicts ten geometric structures that progress from one (a point) through ten (a decagon) to metaphorically convey increasingly advanced levels of human cognitive engagement with the environment. The plates for prints one (Point), two (Line)) and three (Triangle) are etched copper while the plates for prints four through ten are laser- and hand-engraved with collagraph additions. The sequence begins with an emphasis on simple identification of elements (points, edges and planes) within a vague space. Clearly defined shapes symbolize comprehension, the next cognitive level. This includes a plate with four squares, one with five pentagons and one with six hexagons. Overlapping of seven heptagons, eight octagons and nine nonagons creates the illusion of three-dimensional forms to convey the human capacity to create and form our own environments. Finally, the last plate’s ten decagons emphasize pattern to represent the cognitive skill of synthesis and a deeper understanding of the connections within our world. Displayed sequentially, the series imparts a sense of growth.
Tooled engraving, collage, and painting of the identical, paired laser-engraved plates transform their mechanical quality and introduce the artist’s hand. Paint and collage transform the first plate into a collagraph for a textured foundation while hand-engraved hatching on the second creates an illusion of form and space. By printing these complementary plates in varied ways, unique, one-of-a-kind monoprints enable investigation of each number's symbolic potential.
“Advancing Patterns of Perception” is a ten-and-one-half foot collage that contains the full series of ten prints made in 2018. The video of it is from an exhibition in Santander, Spain.