Artist's Statement
Artist's Statement
How does an artist think like a scientist?
Having spent a long career as a physicist, and now a short one as an artist, I may be qualified to address this question. To me the most important attribute of a scientist is curiosity. What hides from human view, and how can he or she set out to find it? The path means inventing some new approach not previously imagined, and devising a novel and revealing experiment or theory to reveal it. A scientist must envisage the future, the as yet unseen.
That, too, is what an artist must do if he or she is to succeed. Experimenting with a new medium is like inventing a new and special instrument. With a mind's eye for the result, the artist must try whatever new technique will further that pursuit. In my own case, each day in my shop brings the need for a new solution to some sudden and unexpected problem. For example I've had to find ways to glue wood to aluminum, an ongoing development. Or how to anchor dacron kite string to my laminates in order to realize my kite string sculptures. Michelangelo is said to have "seen" the David within the uneven block of marble that was given him to carve.
My sculptures are abstractions of lines and curves in 3-D, Each of my sculptures originate as a set of mathematical equations typed on the keyboard of my computer and displayed as a moving curve on my screen. What matters is visual pattern: symmetries created and broken. Parallax between lines within a sculpture leads to changing patterns as one moves about. Each piece thus becomes fluid and varied. Although my pieces originate as abstractions, I often give them plausible representational names upon completion. Of the many possible patterns that I create, I choose only those that I find appealing and at the same time buildable. These I form into real lines and real curves in 3-D space.
My technique of turning mathematics into sculpture through lamination
is unique. Curved lines are formed by laminating thin strips of wood,
paper, fiberglass, plastic or sheet metal, a technique that exploits
the elasticity and flexibility of these materials. A stack of thin strips
is prepared with glue applied between layers and then wrapped onto a
form to replicate the computer image. When the glue sets, a ridged curve
results. Straight lines are formed from wood dowels with angles and stick
lengths determined by computer. String sculptures use dacron kite string
and imbedded eyelets. Recent development has shown that aluminum clad
sculptures can be made suitable for outdoor display.