Kerry Mitchell

Statement

My work is composed primarily of computer-generated, mathematically-inspired, abstract images. I draw from the areas of geometry, fractals, and numerical analysis, and combine them with image-processing technology. The resulting images powerfully reflect the beauty of mathematics that is often obscured by dry formulae and analyses. An overriding theme that encompasses all of my work is the wondrous beauty and complexity that flow from a few, relatively simple, rules. Inherent in this process are feedback and connectivity; these are the elements that generate the patterns. They also demonstrate to me that mathematics is, in many cases, a metaphor for the beauty and complexity in life. This is what I try to capture.

Artworks

The image is made from four variations of the Hilbert curve, each rotated by a multiple of 90 degrees. In each, the curve was extended to boundaries of the edges of the image plane, decomposing the plane into two disjoint regions. The regions were rendered black and a second color (yellow, green, blue, or magenta). The four variations were combined into a single image by overlaying them, subtracting the colors. This allows the Hilbert curves to be seen wherever the color on a given variation's layer differed from that on another layer. Thus, all four curves can be seen and traced through the image.

This image is made up of 10 versions of the Hilbert curve. Typically, the Hilbert curve is built from repeatedly subdividing squares and drawing a curve through the centers of the squares. In this image, each curve passes through a different point in the smallest square, relative to the square's center. By systematically and smoothly varying the points through which the curve passes, the series of curves create a sense of shading, while retaining the overall feeling of the original curve.