Susan Goldstine
Artists
Susan Goldstine
Professor of Mathematics
St. Mary's College of Maryland
St. Mary's City, Maryland, USA
Statement
There are two things I have done for as long as I can remember: explore mathematics, and create things with my hands. In my professional academic life, these impulses have merged into my specialization in mathematics and the arts. I am particularly devoted to exploring handcrafts, especially those in the fiber arts traditionally viewed as feminine. The interplay between mathematics and fiber arts is endlessly fascinating, both in the ways that mathematics allows for a deeper understanding of knitting, crochet, weaving, and so forth, and in the ways that these crafts can illuminate complex concepts in mathematics.
Artworks
Seed Values II
73 x 73 cm
Digital Print
2021
Seed flowers of a daisy are numbered in approximate order of growth: the older the seed, the smaller the number. Clockwise from the lower left, the colors show the different remainders upon division by 55, 34, 21, and 13. The monochrome spirals are artifacts of the reason that the seeds appear to form Fibonacci spiral families: seeds whose growth numbers differ by a Fibonacci number tend to be close enough to touch.
The precursor to my Seed Values prints is a diagram I made on a photograph of a daisy in my 2006 paper, "Dancing Elves and a Flower’s View of Euclid’s Algorithm." The flower bouquets at my local farmers market inspired me to try my hand at a more artistic rendition.