Mary Wahr

art educator

Kendall College of Art and Design

Manistee, Michigan

I am an art educator with a Masters in Art Education. My thesis was based on fractal art and the premise that students can appreciate complicated mathematical concepts through art. What began as a research paper has turned into a passion. I draw fractals by hand in black and white and in color. Subject matter comes from nature, the human body and the techniques of the Surrealists, especially decalcomania. Decalcomania is a process where paint or ink and an art surface are pressed together. When the two surfaces are pulled apart an intricate, fractal pattern is created in the liquid medium. There are many variables that effect the outcome of the art piece including the paint or ink that is used, the type of paper and the direction of the pull. After a year my techniques are still evolving.

BIrches

20x24

gouache and colored pencil on synthetic paper

2011

This is decalcomania. A thin coat of gouache is painted on a glass surface. Synthetic paper is laid into the paint and pressed to make contact. The paper is then pulled away from the glass surface. The tension created by the pull creates beautiful fractal patterns. These fractal patterns are self-similar in that all parts look the same. The patterns are at differing scales-small, medium and large. They are also recursive, building upon each other. These are components that mathematically define what a fractal is. Decalcomania makes these components visible.

WIngs

20x24

gouache and colored pencil on synthetic paper

2011

This is decalcomania. It is created by brushing a thin coat of gouache onto a glass surface and then laying synthetic paper into the paint. Once good contact is made the paper is pulled away from the painted surface. An intricate fractal pattern is created by the tension between the two surfaces. These fractal patterns are recursive, building upon themselves. They are self-similar in that the patterns look alike. The patterns also scale, going from very small to large. These are mathematical concepts that are made visual through decalcomania.

Dante's Inferno

20x24

gouache and colored pencil on synthetic paper

2011

This is decalcomania. It is begun by floating a thin layer of gouache on a glass surface and then laying a sheet of synthetic paper on it. Good contact is made between the paper and the paint and then the paper is pulled away from the glass surface. The tension between the two surfaces creates beautiful, intricate fractal patterns. These fractal patterns are recursive, growing out from each other. They are self-similar, looking the same. The patterns also scale meaning that there are small, medium and large patterns created during the pull. Decalcomania makes the mathematical components of a fractal easier to visualize.

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