Susan McBurney
"Ellipses IV"
Digital print, 9" x 12", 2006.
"Kimono"
Digital print, 9" x 12", 2006.
Susan McBurney
Western Springs, IL USA
" The power of the modern computer combined with graphic and image manipulation software programs have provided tools that can lead both the artist and the mathematician to new areas of expression. Coming from a math and computer science background, I use these tools to illustrate the beauty inherent in basic mathematical constructs, and to present them in a pleasing manner. Upon closer inspection I hope the viewer will question the design and then ultimately realize how simple the basis of it really is. Each of these pictures is composed entirely of ellipses, nothing else. They vary in dimension and orientation, but it is the interaction of the basic components that leads to the finished artwork. Fundamental building blocks are manipulated to create complex graphics, or stated another way an intricate design can be evaluated by examining the simple components of which it is made. This in turn illustrates the essence of mathematical processes, to analyze a complex object by breaking it down into easy-to-understand components. Thus the viewer experiences in a small way the fundamental nature of mathematical reasoning. "
smcburney@prodigy.net