Artists

Elizabeth Whiteley

Studio Artist

Washington DC, USA

whiteley.artist@gmail.com

https://portfolio.elizabethwhiteley.com

Statement

As I deepen and broaden my work with the geometry of 19th Century surface pattern design plans, I find that there are design opportunities which have not been explored by others. With my discoveries and innovations, I am constructing elegant patterns from lattice plans based on square, parallelogram, rhombus, and quadrilateral shapes. For example, by using simple geometric operations, I transform the 2-D design elements within generators for p1 translations. The result is a half slip plane tiling design which appears both fresh and complex to the viewer while relying on symmetry and repetition. My process starts with hand-drawn images. I scan them and manipulate them digitally with Photoshop CC to create final designs.

Artworks

Image for entry 'Ashmead 2'

Ashmead 2

20”x16”

Inkjet Print with Archival Ink on Epson Velvet Fine Art Paper

2014

I began this image with hand-drawn design elements similar to those in one of my botanical drawings. I composed the design elements on a rhombic lattice plan with a half slip (or, drop repeat) for a generator, G1. For the next step in the progression, I transformed the design elements within the generator to create a more complex generator, G2. I tiled the plane with a p1 translation of G2. I am educated as a fine artist. By creating a border and an inset panel with a different pattern scales, this image becomes pictorial with an implied narrative. I find this composition more visually interesting than a simple and repetitive surface pattern design. I consider it a narrative meditation.
Image for entry 'Greenwich 2'

Greenwich 2

20”x16”

Inkjet Print with Archival Ink on Epson Velvet Fine Art Paper

2014

I began this image with hand-drawn triangular design elements inspired by one of my oil paintings. I composed the design elements on a rhombic lattice plan with a half slip (or, drop repeat) for a generator, G1. For the next step in the progression, I transformed the design elements within the generator to create a more complex generator, G2. I tiled the plane with a p1 translation of G2. I am educated as a fine artist. By creating a border and an inset panel with a different pattern scales, this image becomes pictorial with an implied narrative. I find this composition more visually interesting than a simple and repetitive surface pattern design. I consider it a narrative meditation.