2019 Joint Mathematics Meetings
John Nicholson
Artists
Statement
As a child, I was interested in mathematics and art. Eventually, I discovered computers and programming. Once I realized I could connect computer programs to both math and art, I spent many hours writing many small and large programs that could generate all types of images including fractals, 3d renderings, complex curves, and generative art. I continue to explore the intersection of math, art and computer science, both as a pastime and as a way to inspire the students in the computer science courses I teach.
Artworks
Variations on curve stitching
41 x 41 cm
Inkjet on Aluminum
2018
In curve stitching, N points are drawn on a circle. Line segments then connect points I to points ((K * I) mod N), with a cardioid appearing when K = 2. Usually, N is kept low and the line segments are visible. In this work, N is essentially infinite. Line segments and points on the segments are randomly sampled and displayed as a density plot. The small center circles on the borders are the result of multiplying by K = 3/2, 5/3, 7/5, and 11/7. The corner and center variations are created similarly except they connect points on a circle to points on different types of curves: a lemniscate (top left), two different rose curves (top right and bottom left), a hypocycloid (bottom right), and a hypotrochoid (center).