2012 Joint Mathematics Meetings
Susan McBurney
Artists
Susan McBurney
Western Springs, IL
Statement
Complexity generated with simple rules and elements is a common theme in mathematics. This artwork is from the “Repeated Figures” series in which just one basic geometric building block is manipulated to produce a complex, pleasing design. The results are often very unexpected and the final figure is produced solely by the interaction of the parts.
Artworks
Blue Sunflower
17x17
Digital computer art
2011
This artwork is composed of just one element, a semicircle. It is rotated to give pentagonal symmetry, and the resulting flower-shaped design is repeated 36 times to form the overlapping rings. The design is then drawn again at smaller scale. There is a special appeal when something that seems complicated can be generated with simple rules and building blocks.