Artists

Debra L. Hydorn

Professor of Mathematics

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA

dhydorn@umw.edu

Statement

I teach a first-year seminar on the geometry in art and started exploring the use of Geometer's Sketchpad as a tool for students to use for their course projects. I found that even very simple manipulations can produce interesting results and that within a piece created through a structured process unexpected patterns and randomness can emerge. These explorations have been very enjoyable for me and have provided an unexpected creative outlet. I hope that using mathematics to create art will help my students to see mathematics in a new way

Artworks

Image for entry 'Pinwheel'

Pinwheel

12 inches by 12 inches

Digital print

2011

We study the point, line and plane groups in my first year seminar so I am very interested to see what results are possible when the isometries are used to create forms in these groups. This work began as a pinwheel made from 8 overlapping squares that was then rotated around one of the vertices and then rotated again.