When I began work on Wold, I had just discovered the generative pattern used to draw the classical labyrinth. I loved that this ancient design has been around for thousands of years, and out of a combination of curiosity and experimentation I decided to try using the pattern to lay out the initial drawing for my new canvas.
Working with this seed pattern was fascinating. It’s simple and yet just complex enough to allow the mind to wander. This gif from labyrinthos.net does a great job of describing how it works:
The pattern helped set up a nice off-center repetition that remained through completion. But the rest of the original underdrawing disappeared as I continued working on the canvas.
In the end, Wold is more about light and a sense of place than it is about this pattern I used to get it started. But hopefully some mystery and meditative wandering from the labyrinth lives on in the resulting image.
If you are interested in reading more about labyrinths, check out labyrinthos.net, which was a favorite reference when I was first learning about seed patterns.
Wold was part of my 2016 solo show Penumbra and was exhibited at Context Art Miami and in NY by Blank Space gallery.
