Sunday, April 13, 2008

graphing system




















Each of my ten pages of graph paper all followed the same set of rules, rather than a progression or digression from one page to the next.  So instead of the pages being a continuation from one page to the next, it was more of a selection of ten possible variations.  Many more variations exist, especially when factoring in the color.  The rules that I followed in each separate page consisted of placing four 5 x 5 boxes on the page, each are the same distance from each other- it was the only constant in all ten images.  Then I would add four more boxes in descending order, each attached to the first 5 x 5 box. Starting with a 4 x 4 box on the top left or right corner of the 5 x 5 box, rotating the page so the center of the page was always above the 5 x 5 square when adding the next box.  Then the 3 x 3 box attached to any of the corners on the 4 x 4 box that is not the same corner attached to the 5 x 5 box.  then a 2 x 2 box attached to the 3 x 3, and a 1 x 1 box attached to the 2 x 2 in the same manner.  There are many different possible solutions to this system of rules, because of the varying corners available to pick.  After there are four sets of boxes (it is possible that they will end up attaching in the middle) I made an outline of the entire end product by drawing a line exactly one box away from all of the boxes.  Then, when coloring in the different end products, I would start by designating one color for the one box outline (R,Y,or B).  then the two remaining colors would be used for filling in the 4 sets of 5 boxes.  one color would be chosen to either each 5 x 5, each 4 x 4, each 3 x 3, each 2 x 2, or each 1 x 1 box in the four sets, and the remaining four boxes would all be the same of the last color.  
I found that although they followed the same guidelines, because of the many variations in where the boxes could be placed and which colors were picked, the results produced very different end results.  
An artist that just came to mind (and maybe whom I was subconsciously inspired by) is Josef Albers- because he used squares as well, and he also chose descending sizes.  Although his were all within one another, whereas my boxes are completely separate. (i posted his 1-homage to a square: Soft Spoken, and 2- homage to the square:with rays, above)

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