Light, Color and Form as Wave
Date
2011-05-18
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
As a student of both art and science I am often faced with having to reconcile my interest in these areas of study. In my work I search for the principles that make this connection—elements without which, both areas of study would collapse. In this exploration I have found resolution through light, color and form.
Form is the element I have found to be the most important. In my work, I have chosen the wave as my muse of sorts. It acts as the unifying element between light and color, art and science. Wave theory explains how energy is carried in continuously undulating waves. Its functionality is immense. The wave carries energy through sound, heat, light and color as it propagates through space. Our bodies absorb these waves and with our senses we interpret them.
Structurally, the wave alludes to a sense of infinity—a continuous frequency and movement. Its valleys, peaks, and undulations become almost anthropomorphic and body-like. My work also integrates the golden ratio. First studied by Greek mathematician Pythagoras several thousand years ago, it remains a timeless irrationality, which has provided some of the most exquisite structures, both man-made and within nature.
In prints and sculpture, I’ve chosen to visually explore the function of these forms. In an additive process, the frequency and energy of the wave intensifies. Its interaction with the environment produces color and light. Waves both construct and deconstruct to create color and energy. Fully united, we see nothing, a pure white light. Absent, we see a black.
Yet within this spectrum between black and white lies an infinite range of color beyond the seven Newtonian colors. Studying color theorists such as Mark Rothko, Ellsworth Kelly, Joseph Albers and Wassily Kandinsky, I further explore how color relations become an integral element in defining the wave’s capabilities. Color, fundamental to both art and science, emits an energy, form and life all its own.
Description
Keywords
Art, Color, Light, Form, Physics, Wave, Science