New Zealand artist Pat Nielsen uses principles of mathematics and geometry to create gripping Op Art compositions. Nielsen’s aversion for routine and structure in life urges her to seek rigor and order in her art, as a way to achieve a healthy equilibrium. Painted under extremely chaotic conditions, her works are built with astounding mathematical precision using sets of rules and protractors. The eye is dazzled and inebriated as it travels down the rabbit hole of infinite concentric squares, rows of undulating lines, spirals, helices, half moons, and dots. The repeating patterns create optical illusions of mobility that have a dizzying effect on the viewer. A piano player, former math tutor, and singer of barbershop ballads, which are based on Pythagoras’ overtone series, Nielsen sees mathematics and geometry as foundational laws of the universe. Drawing from music, architecture, and science, she reveals the mesmerizing harmony unifying Creation.
Originally from the UK, Nielsen studied geography and worked as a math teacher for over forty years. She has been painting for the past twenty years and has exhibited locally in Auckland, New Zealand, where she resides.
My ideas often form when I’m awake at night, usually triggered by the question ‘I wonder what would happen if…?’ I then work on all the technicalities in my mind, maybe the next night as well, until I can see the whole finished product. I follow these instructions starting with an accurate drawing and letting the colors suggest themselves as I paint, a process which takes ten to twelve hours to complete. I use acrylic, applying several thin layers with surprisingly small brushes. I enjoy the trance-like state this induces. It is not unusual for me to notice something in the environment, over the following weeks, which I recognise as having been the trigger for the idea – such as the side of the new hospital in town or a magnifying glass lying on a table for weeks at home – and its effect on what lay underneath. I have come to regard painting as an indispensable outlet for the inner workings of my subconscious mind. For inquiries, sales@agora-gallery.com
