gradations (2015)

Works List

squares and rhombi

cut tulle, fishing line, duralar tabs, thumb tacks mounted directly on wall

21.5 x 24 inches

squares and rhombi developed out of a series of investigations of the internal geometry of a rectangle. The two squares tilted at angles identify the rabatments, the lines describing the square on the short side of the rectangle. A more complicated construction revealed the two rhombi that float around the horizontal center. A final rhombus connects one vertex in each of the four other shapes.

cardinal-fibonacci droops

cut tulle, fishing line, duralar tabs, thumb tacks mounted directly on wall

27.5 x 54 inches

cardinal-fibonacci droops was created by measuring out intervals determined by two sequences: the cardinal numbers (1,2,3, … 8) and the Fibonacci sequence: (1,1,2,3,5, … 34). The intervals were marked and a string was hung between two points so that it “drooped” down to the interval mark, determining the shape of the layer.

horizon

cut tulle, fishing line, duralar tabs, thumb tacks mounted directly on wall

26 x 31 inches

horizon was created using overlaid grids of diamonds (composed of two equilateral triangles): one set of layers composing a grid of vertical diamonds and a second set composing a horizontal grid. An additional “half layer” creates the horizon line.

oval no. 1

cut tulle, fishing line, duralar tabs, thumb tacks mounted directly on wall

52 x 67 inches

oval no. 1 is composed of two interrelated geometrical figures: equilateral triangles (formed by intersecting circles) and arcs described from the corners of those triangles. It is based on the classical construction of the oval, in which two congruent intersecting circles (each passing through the center of the other) form the left and right edge of the oval, with the top and bottom curve determined by an arc with a center at the point of their intersection and radius equal to the diameter of the intersecting circles.

disruptions no. 1, 2, 3

cut tulle and glue on paper

20 x 26.5 inches

This series of drawings is based on half circles (derived from the shape of a small protractor) that are cut out of rectangles and arranged to create rhythmic patterns.

oval studies no. 5, 9, 14, 7

cut tulle, graphite and glue on paper

13.5 x 16.5 inches

This series of drawings is based on the forms created by the construction and internal geometry of a classically constructed oval. They are studies for oval no. 1 but also drawings in their own right.

x no. 2

cut tulle, fishing line, duralar tabs, thumb tacks mounted directly on wall

29 x 21 inches

x no. 2 was created by cutting a semi-circular shape out of all four sides each layer except the top, which was preserved as a rectangle.

four tips

cut tulle, fishing line, duralar tabs, thumb tacks mounted directly on wall

28 x 32 inches

four tips was created by a series of by-hand cuts of triangular shapes into rectangular layers. The piece actually began upside down—an image of a bridge bearing in mind Hart Crane’s line “How could mere toil align thy choiring strings?” Upright the form fell flat—too figural—but when turned upside down it took on a wholly different, surprising and fresh character.

ten steps toward my dimensions

cut tulle, fishing line, duralar tabs, thumb tacks mounted directly on wall

70 x 22 inches

ten steps toward my dimensions approximates my bodily dimensions. It begins with an arc of a circle with radius equal to the width of my body. A second arc is created by using the opposite corner as a center and the line to the point where the first arc intersects the edge as the radius. This systematically enlarges the figure until, after ten steps, it has almost reached my height.

five steps toward an infinite gap

cut tulle, fishing line, duralar tabs, thumb tacks mounted directly on wall

54 x 67.5 inches

five steps toward an infinite gap consists of a series of sixty degree angles (cut out in pairs), with the vertical distance between each vertex pair equal to half the distance in the previous “step.” An open triangle at the bottom of the work gets smaller with each step. After five steps the “gap” at the bottom is quite small—but this is an instantiation of one of Zeno’s paradoxes. Theoretically, no matter how many times the construction is repeated, the gap will remain.

x no. 1

cut tulle, fishing line, duralar tabs, thumb tacks mounted directly on wall

28 x 21 inches

x no. 1 was created by cutting a triangle out of the left and right sides of each of the nine rectangular layers.