John Sharp

"Pentagonal Interference"


Digital print, 8" x 7", 1996.



This was part of a series I was working on simulating discrete interference patterns. "Light" comes from five points roughly in the form of a pentagon as a sine wave and the amplitude is summed at a point on the screen. The result is then plotted as a greyscale. From a distance the effect looks like a face but close up the pentagonal origins show up.


"Piero's head transformed"


Paper sculpture, 8" x 6", 1995.



The silhouette was taken from Piero della Francesca's Prospetiva Pingendi. It was then used to create a three dimensional head as a pair of rotations. The front and back of the head are surfaces of rotation. It was part of an exploration used for teaching ways of creating three dimensional forms in a class I taught called "Slices and Slots".


"Euler's Falls"


Digital print, 8" x 6", 2006.



Euler's Falls Originally 1987 but new version 2006 Plotted drawings 6 by 5 and 8 by 6 inches This is the result of working with differential equations and the use of Euler and Runge Gutta methods for plotting them. In this case the equation is

The way the curves flow reminded me very much of a waterfall. So I selected the part of the plot which highlighted this. In the latest version I have added some coefficients to change the effect of the flow. The original version was plotted with a blue ink but, over the years, action of light has aged it in a very pleasing way.


"Euler's Falls" (original)


Digital print, 6" x 5", 1987.




"Falling water with impressionist manipulation"


Digital print, 8" x 10", 1996.



This is from my Bridges 2006 paper. I have been working with linkages to draw curves which are initially lemniscates but change their shape as the position of the linkage pivots change. The resultant set of curves have been checker-boarded and then put through an "Impressionism" filter. I painted and drew a lot of op-art in the 1960s and 70s partly because it was fashionable but also because, being colour-blind, it is easier for me to not to have to worry about colour.

John Sharp