Liz Shreeve

Statement

A background in the sciences has influenced my approach to art making both in subject matter and method. My work is driven by observations of the natural and man-made world and is obsessed with light and colour. In my early career I was not consciously using maths to create work but observations of my own practice made me realise that numbers, sequences and proportions are responsible for patterns and form and the infinite, though far from random, variations in nature. There is a rightness to certain proportions, certain curves etc. that can be seen or felt by a viewer. The beauty of mathematics can perhaps explain what is beautiful in art.

Artworks

This work was inspired by seeing plots of vector equations at a lecture. It is actually a mapping of a vector expression using tabs rather than points to express direction. It is not intended as an illustration of the expression. The process may be a way to visualise a measurable relationship but using mathematical expressions is also a way to create pleasing forms that mimic the natural or man-made world; maybe wind in a wheat field or the trace of a hand swept across velvet. My work is an attempt to capture those small moments where something catches your eye and fills you with delight.