“Tree of Life” © by Donna Gonzalez
I have to admit I do like patterns, they do seem to serve a purpose if only it is for its beauty. Take for instance this painting above, it is of four mosaics placed into a pattern. I tried a much different approach in painting this mosaic, as I wanted to see the movement of paint on the canvas. Instead of painting it with a brush as I had in the past I applied a wet-on-wet paint technique which allowed the different colors to move and blend. I love the result!
The branching arms of colors of this abstract composition appear to be of a great tree and its reflection in a lake of still water. And yet this pattern is not unlike the feathery delicate dendritic pattern often seen in hoarfrost or the icy pattern seen on a frozen windshield. Is there something more to these dendritic patterns? I think there is!
Now, I’m no scientist by far, but seeing these patterns emerge from the painting gives me even greater inspiration to try this technique again. That’s what I think is so unique about these mosaics as the patterns come forth on their own without my intervention. Since these mosaics always create a pleasing pattern there must be some kind law or rule it is governed by. But what?
We see patterns everywhere in fabric designs, in nature, architecture and believe it or not they are even in the laws of math. Artists have used the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci sequence to create realism in their works.
I teach an art course as well, and one of the videos I have my students watch is on fractals by Dr. Jason Lisle of the Institute of Creation Research. Today my mind went back to this “Tree of Life” painting. I don’t fully understand how it happens. But I’m still musing about this pattern in light of what Dr. Jason Lisle’s says in his video and how God’s fingerprints are seen in my artworks just like His fingerprints are also seen in what He creates in nature.
It’s lengthy but a fascinating video entitled: “The Physical World Obeys God’s Math Fractals” by Calvary Chapel Quakertown. Dr. Jason Lisle explains in depth the discovery of the Mandelbrot set where a set of complex numbers exhibit a very elaborate never-ending complex set of patterns seen through increasing magnification.
If you watch the entirety of the video you’ll have a deeper understanding how fractals in math and in nature though considered random at first in the end create an unparalleled beauty that can only be described as originating from an intelligent Designer – God Himself.
Now that is really cool!
-Donna