2015 Joint Mathematics Meetings
Karen Yokley
Artists
Karen Yokley
Professor of Mathematics
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Elon University
Elon, North Carolina, USA
Statement
I am interested in how the beauty of mathematics can be represented using different media and different color palettes. My work is influenced by my career as an applied mathematician as well as my general interest in aesthetics. Specifically, I like the inherent randomness of a hand-painted (or hand-drawn) image that is influenced by more precise curves or mathematical designs.
Artworks
Pinwheel
10 in x 8 in
acrylic on canvas
2014
The painting creates motion through repetition of geometric figures. Radially symmetric arrangements were layered using different color palettes to create dimension.
Bubble Spiral
14 in x 11 in
acrylic on canvas
2014
The painting depicts bubbles in motion defined by multiple golden spirals. Several spirals were created digitally and arranged with repetitive arrangements of circles. The design was then roughly transferred to a painting before the spirals were painted using multiple dots, and the circles were shaded. The dots are used to create an impression of multiple bubbles, and the abstract nature of the painting incorporates the ideas of noise and approximation.