Sharol Nau

Artist
Northfield, Minnesota, USA

My artistic practice involves taking a simple mathematical idea and enhancing visual interest in the composition through technique, color, shape, line or texture. Through this past summer I’ve experimented with rust printing striving to develop control in this serendipitous method of an unruly technique where I combine water, rust and paper. There have been some incredible results both positive and questionable as humidity, air temperature, amount of water and the fact that even while using the same rusty plates unexpected results appear more often than not. Not complaining as I love these surprises and discoveries.

How Many Triangles, Base Five
How Many Triangles, Base Five
29 x 22 cm
Rust print and collage on handmade paper
2017

Let T(n) be the number of similar triangles formed when an isosceles triangle of base length n is subdivided into similar triangles of base length 1. For the case n = 5, in addition to the original base-5 triangle there are the 25 base-1 triangles, as well as three base-4, six base-3 and 13 base-2, for at total of T(5) = 48. T(n) =?