Monthly Archives: May 2016

Working notes of ‘Lithium mesh’ (Spatial Lithium)

The photograph above is of my working notes which appears on the reverse side of my ‘Highly Commended’ art piece, Lithium mesh. Although you will not see this side of it on display at the prestigious Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize 2016 exhibition – it shows my thoughts and the science of my working method. For more information about the science behind it, see the following blog (Proton brushstrokes) or download the PDF file Quantum brushstrokes

To see the finished mounted work, visit the South Australian Museum from 10 June until 31 July 2016. Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize_Gallery

Artist statement of work: Lithium mesh
Quarks & leptons are the building blocks of matter — I’ve created a series of events, using curls & waves, that interpret a geometric construct of a particle’s properties. The curved structures create a framework that allows for connections and entangled systems to manifest. Finally the surface is flattened to 2D-form for observation. The viewer experiences the unravelled results — challenging perceptions that things are often not what they appear to be — a tangible expression of how nature at the very small scale may be formed, by complicated structures and events that are concealed from us.

Proton brushstroke: from curvature to flat

I’m inclined to think that… ‘the 3D world is an illusion. The ultimate precise reality is the 2D reality on the surface of the universe’, Leonard Susskin*

*Source: What is space? 48:30s, 2015 www.youtube.com
Note: A second phase dimension has been neglected from this diagram. Download the PDF file Quantum brushstrokes for more.

Quantum brushstrokes – Is it an open door for abstraction?

The Observer recently wrote a very interesting article titled, Are Painters out of ideas? In it they suggest that they are, ‘as it is just too difficult to be truly original with paint these days.’

Of course, ‘mimicry—either the naive or purposeful kind—is not new, nor is it illegal.’ But what caught my attention was the statement, ‘that there are only so many variants of color, brushstroke and composition to discover, especially once you get into formal abstraction. And in fact, the art world had seen an explosion of simplistic wall works over its recent boom years, many of which rehashed post-Minimalist or process-based ideas from the ’60s and ’70s in order to produce a high yield of nearly indistinguishable abstractions.’

While I essentially agree with the premise of this, I don’t agree that all has been explored. I believe what I call the ‘quantum brushstrokes’ opens a door to abstraction that is not borrowing, stealing, appropriating, or copying from the past. It is authentic, real and relevant to anyone, like me, who has a keen interested in expressing the aesthetics of our natural universe.

See full article here: http://observer.com/2016/02/are-painters-out-of-ideas/

For more download: Quantum brushstrokes