Sandra DeLozier Coleman
The pleasure I derive from creating a semi-symmetrical drawing lies in the freedom to choose the steps in my own algorithm and the discipline required to follow the rules enough times to produce symmetry. The process brings a calming feeling of order amid chaos. My drawings are different from precise mathematical designs that rely heavily on rulers, compasses, protractors and other tools. I usually use none of these. In this drawing, however, I decided to use one tool -- a simple ruler. I wanted the design to fit within the boundaries of a rectangle with an approximate 7:9 ratio of width to length. So I penciled in a few dots -- actually a lot of dots. Then I created the piece by connecting the dots with hand-drawn curves and imagery.
In this design, both obvious and hidden images suggest my frame of mind as I worked to connect the dots. Because personal psychology and life experiences so affect the way different people choose to connect any given set of dots, it is certain that a hundred different people, given this same set of dots, would surely connect the dots in a hundred different ways -- even if all were looking to follow a set of rules -- even if all were hoping to find calm in the midst of chaos. A hundred different people might also see in my connecting curves and imagery a hundred different stories and foresee a hundred different endings to a mathematical fairy tale woven of patterns repeating themselves.