Form: Assumptions and Truths by Thomas Bosket

FORM: Assumptions & Truths

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FORM: Assumptions & Truths Thomas Bosket

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Table of Contents -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 DRAWING FORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 PERCEPTION OF FORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 INTENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 FORM SENSING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 FORM DEFINED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

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INTRODUCTION -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

The world we know would not exist without form. Formlessness is vapor, ether and thought, all dancing poetries of possibility until given form. Once taken, it is not easily given up but form always acquiesces to entropy; all form reenters the state of formlessness. This book, along with the four enclosed booklets, constitutes a record of the meditations and inquiries that I have undertaken, collected in the hope of increasing your awareness of various aspects of form. They are also meant to serve as an impetus to explore more, to add your observations to the story of form. My hope is that you will draw all over the main book and hand the booklets over to friends as invitations to ponder, enjoy and continue their inquiry into the depiction and creation of forms. I also imagine the booklets could be opened and the posters hung up as reminders of the many forms “form” can take. Potentially these reminders will spark a new language of form in classrooms among artists, designers, architects or even dancers, writers, or any of the various disciplines engaged in making. Over the last eight years, as I drew every form I saw, I was more accurately "feeling" these forms, as so much of what we understand about form is through touch not sight. So often, we preface sight over touch. This is akin to heading off into the wilderness and bringing nothing but water. There is no need to starve ourselves, we should pack well, aim to succeed and find new lands or planets as that may be. That necessitates rethinking or at least examining what we have already learned, accepted or assumed about the depiction of form and realigning our attention. The lens we peer through should be brushed off, reshaped and focused on the wild potential of form in view of new technologies and awareness that is raised due to these inventions. Even more simply—as beacons of our modern society, we ourselves, our bodies can be tuned and made to perceive more, thereby sharing the nuance of our awareness with others in our depiction of form. I have met with cognitive scientists, neuroscientists, mathematicians, dancers, musicians, biologists and countless artists during the formation of these books. Their insights have helped to map out many of the paths I have explored, they have cleared up several misunderstandings I began with and they have comforted me by opening up even more questions—some of which remain unanswered. Ultimately their consideration of what is form, what is useful and what is needed, have greatly expanded my breadth of understanding. I am grateful for their generosity and guidance. This exploration has many more lives and I thank you for choosing to join me on this journey. How we understand form, as sensing humans, while connected to our communities’ shape and needs will greatly affect the future of our society and the forms it takes. I look forward to seeing your visions of the future.

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Part 1: DRAWING FORM

This main book is primarily about the depiction of form. Depiction can be understood as a vivid graphic description—as in “an accurate depiction of the horrors of war.” This act of depiction can simply be showing something that exists, even if not in our immediate surroundings. However, depiction can also be the magic that brings nothingness into something-ness, in service to our imagination, it conjures reality. This act of magic has humble beginnings. The conjurer must learn her craft, and that starts with translating what we feel—both emotionally and physically—into an image. That image gets cast about inside us and out onto the walls of our caves and slowly becomes our world. And, again, it starts with touching and transposing that act onto a surface where others can interact with it. We will begin by looking at simple depictions of form. How to curve, bend and “shake the sheet” of form. We will learn to feel more deeply and record those feelings in our drawings. We will look most closely, perceive, wonder and understand by questioning our assumptions, pushing our presumptions and bring what we see to bear down on what we think we know. All of this pushing and drive will also subside as we find our way and sail smoothly over the act of drawing, rather than depiction, or approximation of reality. We will engage in the act of riding reality—living it, dancing with it—curing ourselves and our planet with wild curiosity.

curves

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There are three kinds of curves: convex, concave, and saddle. 10

Describing curved surfaces with lines generally involves primary and secondary curves and these travel at ninety degree angles to one another. The primary curve informs you that the object is curved versus flat. The secondary curve tells you how it curves more precisely. Consider this: if you have a vase, the primary curve tells you the vase is a cylinder, whereas the secondary curve tells you that it flairs out in the middle and tapers gently to close up at the top. The same applies to an arm: the primary tells you it is a cylinder and the secondary curves tell you it is bulging with muscles or lithe and demure.

[1]

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* a saddle curve: combining a convex and concave curve into an elegant, difficult to describe form... like a collar bone

primary & secondary curves: Renaissance vs Medieval -----——————————-——————--———–_—

* a Renaissance arm........................................

[2]

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*.............................a Medieval arm

[3]

These two sets of lines (primary and secondary curves) can travel rectilinearly to the form, creating a feeling of surety and stability. This is how the description of form was addressed in the Byzantine era and how most new students of art will depict a form today. But the primary and secondary curves can also be shown more diagonally to the form—this creates a sense of movement, speed, and great fluidity. This is how the artists of the Renaissance tended to draw form and it gave their works an unprecedented sense of life.

tucking the edge

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Tucking your drawn line in at the edge, versus bluntly jamming a line into the edge, creates a sense of roundness. Take a sheet of paper and place it on top of another sheet. Lift it so that one edge is perpendicular to the sheet it sits on. Notice how bluntly it meets the bottom sheet. Now tuck it under until it curves around and goes under itself, forming an edge like a soda can. Notice the difference between these two surfaces: the blunt one is just that—it jams into the paper below. The tucked edge slides under and seems to disappear…it softens as it nears the edge. If you follow a line that describes the curve of a cylinder as it passes out of sight, it gets progressively gentler and nuanced as it nears the edge.

* bluntly jamming

* tucking

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* notice the way that the lines in this computer-generated RHINO modeling image tuck as they approach the gradual, curved edge

cubes

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A cube is one of the first forms we learn to draw. It would appear to be simple. It is a solid that has six equal square-shaped sides, all at ninety-degree angles from each other. It is congruent: each side is equal and all angles are identical. And when we learn to draw it, we either learn to draw two overlapping squares with each of their four corners connecting to each other (axonometric) or we learn to draw a simple two point perspective. The problems begin when we try to use those simple guidelines to draw an actual cube. Being that it has six equal sides we want it to appear that way, not elongated or squashed, but perfectly equal. Drawing this is quite a task. The corners, angles and sides have very particular relationships to each other. When we try to arrange all of these into a harmonious whole (in a two point perspective) it can be a harrowing ordeal. I have tried this many times and am always surprised how difficult it is to get a drawing of a cube that really feels like a “cube.”

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* a good cube !

cubes

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* These are WORSE cubes:

* this “true” square view does not exist in observable cubes, except dead-on—a view from which no other sides would be visible at all

* an equally unlikely view

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* This is a BAD cube:

* look at how the planes of a cube wrap from one side to the next— each plane should be in relationship to its neighbor!

Some suggestions for drawing this beast are in the drawings here: use guidelines to assess the angles and the relationship of one corner to another. Notice which corner is above or below another and by how much. Notice the acute or obtuse qualities of angles on the outside and inside of the cube. Feel their sharpness or dullness and respond to that in your drawing. A proper cube is self-contained and draws into itself.

wedges

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When people speak of a wedge they are usually referring to a separation of some sort. But when you look at wedges in image searches you see them used in architecture to “wedge under or in," or in hardware-free wooden joinery and most frequently as an aid in comforting or supporting the human body. It surprises me that they are almost always representing some useful purpose...and so how do these stories play out in the depiction of them? A wedge is an extruded triangle, it has three main planes and two identical, parallel supportive planes. When we draw it we must be aware that it can “drive apart” when the point is driven in and it can “lift and support” if the widest end is laid upon.

DRAWING FORM -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__|| ;;:..;;>;.;;;;.:><::>>>: >>>><:””:>:”<”>’;;’;;’;.;::: >>>,;’:>”:”:”:”:::::”:>:>>::>”: >><..””:’;’””;;’l“::”:”>” ““>:::::>:::””””:”>>.,; ::””:”:;’’;.’’;’;’’;....,, ;;:..;;>;.;;;;.:><::>>>:

;;:..;;>;.;;;;.:><::>>>: >>>><:””:>:”<”>’;;’;;’;.;::: >>>,;’:>”:”:”:”:::::”:>:>>::>”: >><..””:’;’””;;’l“::”:”>” ““>:::::>:::””””:”>>.,; ::””:”:;’’;.’’;’;’’;....,, ;;:..;;>;.;;;;.:><::>>>:

[4] Drawing a wedge is easy enough. Draw a triangle and then pull back a line from all three points of the triangle and then connect them by replicating the first triangle. That is what I did in the drawing above on the left. But it doesn’t quite feel like a wedge as much as the drawing on the right. Why? Could it have to do with the fact that the most common images of wedges we see seem supportive or pointedly driving? The drawing on the left is neither, but the wedges on the right feel like they are holding each other together and are as supportive as architecture. This leads me to wonder how birds that cluster together as the “wedge of starlings” do in the photo above received their defining terminology. Or why wedge shoes came into existence, to support? or drive?

wedges

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A wedge is useful in drawing the body—as are various distortions of the basic cube, sphere and cylinder. A wedge is basically a rectangular shape cut in half, on the diagonal from corner to corner. I have drawn a couple of wedges here that represents the evolution of a wedge from idea to nuanced form. You can see the drawings represent my “pulling and pushing” of the curved lines to reshape the form toward a more exact representation of what was present.

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spheres

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Definitions to consider when working with a sphere: 1. A particular field of activity; environment that’s out of my sphere 2. The extent of a person’s knowledge, interests, or social position. 3. The sky, appearing as a hemisphere to an observer: the sphere of the heavens.1

1. pushing tall

2. pushing wide

3. pushing up & over, evenly, everywhere

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* Convex vs. Concave edges: any hint of concavity ruins the illusion of a full, spherical object!

. . . . . •• | • .. ••. •| | • • •............. • •. • • •...

A sphere is a three-dimensional surface whereon all points are equidistant from a fixed point, which is the center. Any object that has this form would be considered a globe. Associated words: globular or spherical. The considerations in drawing a sphere are directly related to the definition of a sphere. The line that describes the outside edge must be equidistant from the center. All lines that traverse the form and describe its three-dimensional surface must curve in a very even way so that they appear to float around that perfectly centered, fixed point at the center of this form. If these lines are flattened at any point the depicted form will also flatten…essentially deflating the sphere’s full moon like roundness. It seems quite simple to keep in mind that a cube has three dimensions—they are blunt and any change in direction is met by a sharp edge. But with a sphere, there are no sharp edges to indicate a change in direction. Even when a spherelike object, such as a head, is drawn we commonly forget it has height, width and depth—see diagrams of head, next page. The fact that a sphere is perfectly smooth makes it quite tricky to keep in mind that it also has a front, side and top. But in drawing them it’s slippery and our lines must indicate “frontttttside” all in one line, and then change direction and traverse “fronttttttop” all in one line. And if you are drawing along here, the last line would be “topppside.” These three lines create a feeling of a full sphere.

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spheres

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* observe the way the form wraps from top to bottom, side to top, side to bottom, wrapping all around

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Unlike a perfect sphere, a head has some indicators of a front, side, and top, yet the classic beginner still starts with a flat circle when drawing a face. Note: viewing your subject in a 3/4 profile makes the distinction between top, front, side more clear.

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cylinders

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[5]

A cylinder by definition is: The surface generated by a straight line intersecting and moving along a closed plane curve, the directrix, while remaining parallel to a fixed straight line that is not on or parallel to the plane of the directrix.1

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. . . . . . . • No wonder it’s so hard to draw. Basically if you draw an ellipse and just keep repeating it in one direction, you will create a cylinder. But, to make this easier on our eyes, we only draw the “front half” of the form leaving the “back half” of our ellipses off, making the form appear more three-dimensional. There is no trouble in repeating an ellipse until it forms a cylinder-like object. The trouble comes when we try to create an illusion of an actual cylinder and find our drawing flat, warped or lacking a sense of reality.

[6]

* warping the cylinder can be avoided by establishing an axis for it to “turn” around

seeing a cylinder

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side view moving down to

] ] [\] ]

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top view

The cylinder is usually taller than wide and so it will also move past you, either up/down or left/right. This will cause the ellipses to a) flatten into a line when they comes closer to your eyes and b) open up when they pass away from your body into the surrounding space.

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side view

side/top view

1/2˝ 1/2˝ 1/2˝ top view

More information is packed into the tighter curves at the “sides” than along the front of the curve; this side curve is where the crucial point of the drawing hides. Any hesitation or inaccuracy here will flatten and warp the cylinder. This “side” point can be “tucked” (curving more) until you feel it wrap around and soften the edge of the form as it turns away from you.

cylinder flattened

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A bowl is a simple form, but wonderfully subtle. A cylinder yes, but more of a warped plane…. quiet, patient and expectant.

turning a cylinder

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The phrase “turning a cylinder” comes from lathing a piece of wood. A student, familiar with woodworking, once said that drawing an arm is easier if you think of starting with a long block of wood, round the corners, shape the length and then add accents to the curve of the axis. A clear 4 step process to creating a very complex form.

reversing a surface

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* the cylinder begins to droop and swell

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Imagine drawing a cylinder where the lines describing the form are considered convex. I would also add that the lines we are discussing are “drooping” or curving down like a valley. The form swells to feel full, like a vessel. If you reverse the curve of these lines and create a “mountain” shaped line, it will also reverse the “swell” of the form and create an indent. This is how we create a form that curves “in and out” on itself. It is important to keep in mind, that before we address the nuances of form, we must address the basic or underlying form, otherwise the form begins to “ripple” wildly and loses a sense of stability. This rippling can be seen when a new student of drawing drops lines to describe the cheek bones, the eye sockets, the bridge of the nose and forgets the basic form of the head. The additions begin to “ripple” wildly and lose any sense of connection to a greater form.

reversing a surface > saddle curves -----——————————-——————--———–_—

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[7]

the apex

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Language can be a limiter on the precision we would like to embody in depicting form. Consider the word “curve.” It can be used to describe countless objects. If we take just one, the human body, made up of so many types of curves with so many varied qualities, it is hard to imagine that the word “curve” could embody all the sensuous allusions that come to mind. One particular area of concern in addressing these countless qualities and nuances is the apex of a curve used to describe a part of the body. Imagine drawing a finger. The curves we use must bend at the appropriate place in space and to a very particular degree. If we bend our drawn line differently than the object we desire to show, the drawing will reveal a possibly similar, but different object. So we may get a finger but not the one we were looking at in that moment. Ask yourself: Where is the main thrust and force present? When looking at an arm, you can see the apex of the primary curve appear to “move” under the surface—in essence, “warping” the main, simple cylindrical curve. Play with this notion by allowing lines to ripple in relationship to one another. Also, follow some of these curves on actual objects.

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* Remember: a sense of reality comes from watching the apex of the primary curve and maintaining a relationship between the reality of the object and your drawing. This is important especially if the cylinder is more organic – like an arm.

wave surface

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A surface can be considered in many different ways, but one of the simplest is to view it as a plane with two dimensions. When drawn with a ruler (orange lines) this plane can feel very flat. Hand drawn, but as straight as possible (green) the plane begins to soften. The sensation we feel is more human, gentler. Once the lines that indicate the directions on this plane begin to “sway” (purple) the plane enters the third dimension – ever so subtly. This is the point at which a wave begins to be noticeable. A wave is born.

* green lines are “hand-drawn straight” > slightly curving

* orange lines are “ruler straight” > very FLAT

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* purple lines are the beginning of a wave >>>>>>> rising >>>>> sinking

wave surface

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..another wave is born. 44

The forces that exert themselves to create this wave are within the realm of physics but artists can experience them without needing to know how they work. In fact, although the background dynamics can serve as a great inspiration, I don’t believe they are the most fundamental knowledge needed to understand the wave. I would propose that this knowledge is held in our bodies more than our brains and to access it we must “feel” the wave. How you do this is up to you, but to squeeze all there is out of that wave you will probably be going through a regression therapy session every time you draw. You will have to forget all the images of waves you have ever seen, all the words that have been spoken about waves, and try to simply be with the wave and allow it to saturate you. | || | | | | . | Here we find a line curves toward the sky and raises the plane of the water. The same line can fall toward the earth and pull the plane down into it’s depths. Gone are the rigid ruler lines of perfection and “accuracy” for the sake of deeply responsive accuracy.

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Part 2: PERCEPTION OF FORM

Perception, considered here as the search for the innate qualities of an object that differentiates it from all else. How we see the world is shaped by how we understand it. Our preconceived notions influence how we interpret a form, often clouding our vision and preventing us from seeing clearly what is in front of our eyes. One way to counter this interference is to sense an object, to actually touch and feel and wonder the form into a whole understanding. Coming into contact with an object to better understand it involves our mind, our imagination - all our cognitive abilities tickled. It is believed we perceive our world through our senses. Five blunt channels are the transistors to our brain and all that we perceive and then understand. Where does imagination, intuition, fueled by new scientific understanding and pure invention meet the combined effect of the senses? And what would that collision birth? We must consider putting aside the singular use of logical, linear thought as it shuts out all intuitive, “sensed” information that we have not already assumed to be true, factual or proven. A suspension of criticism and judgment. A suspension that allows “the new” to bubble up.

the speed of a line

-----——————————-——————--———–_— How smooth or fast does a curve or angle feel? When drawing, I find most students try to think their way around a form. They want to measure and analyze the exact amount a line bends to describe the object. Rather than seeing the line that describes a curve or angle as simply bent, I suggest we try to feel the “speed” of a curve or angle. Look at these examples and consider how they would feel if you were driving over them. How much would you slow … a bit or a lot? Would you simply pause and go or would you make a full stop and change direction?

* the notion of speed of line applies not only in drawing but, perhaps especially, also in sculpture

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[8]

continuity

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We often assume that a surface continues on in a linear manner, but it may actually shift across the plane as it moves across space and past our singular point of view. Consider the marked stripe in this piece of fabric. At one point of view, we can see one line continuing, an uninterrupted stripe. But as we lower our point of view, the marked violet line begins to appear to shift to the side of itself—eventually going so far as to appear to blend into the white lines. The more extreme our point of view, the further that the violet line drifts until it now lines up with another violet line that is adjacent to the original one we were following. Why does this concern us in depicting form—especially drapery? Because this shift that occurs allows the form—fabric—to slide along and, in essence, to "move" over and around the surface it traverses. The same can happen for objects that are not fabric, linear, or maintain a surface that is obviously connected but none-the-less has a continuous surface—such as skin. Once we understand this, we are able to remain connected to the actual surface we are observing rather than breaking that surface up based on a misunderstanding.

concise master drawings

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[10]

The old masters were focused on creating faithful reproductions of the world. Their powers of perception and looking were of course shaped by this desire, leading to meticulously rendered drawings that showed an extreme economy of line but disintegrate into strange and meaningless passages when viewed in fragments.

[9]

The whole (including the sensual, not just visual) is conveyed with precision and economy. The part is conveyed with precision and meticulous plotting of each nuance.

concise master drawings

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[11]

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modern formulations

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[12]

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Contemporary artists often construct the whole from radically abstracted parts. The sense of each detail of a form being strangely heightened and fascinating prevails and something of the whole is lost.

Space: Systems & Lenses: Western / Linear -----——————————-——————--———–_—

“Space” is simply larger form. I am always struck when students see space as abstract or amorphous, not as a part of form. They also see time as abstract, containing no concrete connection to physical form. But time and space are intricately tied to form. Form couldn’t exist if we didn’t sense these other phenomena. And not only do we sense, we depict our sensations and that is how we come to have a range of how we understand form. Not only do classical distinctions of Eastern and Western perspecitves exist, but also more subtle, even non-verbal understandings — more of a sensation — that lead us to understand the difference between one form and another and what those differences mean. Perspective is one of the systems we developed in order to depict space. I won’t go into the specific details, as they are widely available, but the most commonly referred-to aspect of perspective, in fact it is almost synonymous with the word perspective, is linear perspective — the first or most basic rule of which is, “parallel lines in reality will appear to converge in a perspective drawing.” But the perspectival system, based on the replication of various observations of reality, also includes the appearance of color temperature changing from warm to cool, the loss of detail and contrast, and the apparent reduction in size of all objects as space recedes away from an individual. This system has been regarded by many as a more accurate system than those devised by artists in the Middle and Far East. Their depictions of space have been referred to as naïve or simplistic. I will argue that they simply portray space through a different lens and that lens is no less-accurate or truthful than any other. Many artists have created space with linear perspective, which is not a democratic system but a top-down view based on a retinal “truth.” The entire system is based on a fixed point of view — the eye. It is assumed that the true image of reality is one based on what the mechanisms of our eyes perceive and project into our brain. I easily accept this as one version but, by no means, see it as more important or truthful than a variety of other possible systems and approaches. In fact, at times, linear perspective limits what I can say and feels restrictive. Look at some of the following images and notice what you can or cannot depict and therefore see based on the chosen system. Notice where you are as the viewer: smoothly floating in one constant direction, set in one place and immobile, or moving almost indiscriminately depending on where your focus rests. And then consider what each of these observations and subsequent sensations have you thinking about or experiencing. How could any or all of these be used to your advantage if your goal was to communicate your thoughts or possible visions of the future? In other words, consider how a given perspectival system can be used to confirm or buttress a particular world-view or cultural hierarchy.

-----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————–––PERCEPTION –_____ _----———–_—__||

[13]

Space: Systems & Lenses: Eastern axonometric -----——————————-——————--———–_—

As a teacher, I aim to help each one of my students and this requires being able to empathize with a wide variety of viewpoints and subsequent representations. When I hear other faculty arguing for one system over another I quickly come to this thought: we are, in truth, using relatively few and simple systems considering all that has occurred in science and philosophy. In the West, we mainly use a 600 hundred-year-old system — linear perspective — to exhibit all we want to say about space. It’s time to open the door to greater possibility; depiction and expression of all that we experience regarding space. Middle Eastern perspective has been referred to as “drifting” or multiple viewpoint perspective. It can be seen as representing the scene from many points of view and that includes not only a change in physical space but also in time. Imagine: we already time-travel in painting and drawing and exist in multiple locations simultaneously. Imagine where we could go next if we free ourselves from the outdated shackles of simplistic cultural categories and reliance on ancient systems of depiction. Far Eastern perspective is referred to as axonometric or “floating.” Again, I am not going to explain all the intricacies of axonometric perspective but it essentially assumes a viewpoint located above the scene depicted and uses parallel diagonal, vertical, and horizontal lines to communicate spacial and temporal shifts. This kind of image moves us in a “slow float” and offers a less hierarchical order of the objects in the image. It also affords us a chance to see room after room after room, as we are not locked into one fixed physical point from which all of the spaces are seen. Consider what lenses you use to see and understand: Empiricism, mythology, land, stories, scientific proof and/or belief? What does each lens allow or restrict?

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[14]

perspective: systems & techniques -----——————————-——————--———–_—

FLATTENED DEPTH

warm, sharp, bright

EXAGGERATED DEPTH

cool, blurry, dull

warm, sharp, bright

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[15]

Various systems have been designed to depict space with a focus on creating faithful reproductions of the world. As discussed above, Western artists traditionally have used the elements of color temperature, contrast of value, texture and chroma to illuminate the aspects that allude to depth. In these illustrations some of these elements have been used to exaggerate or compress the representational space in the painting “Starrucca Viaduct, Pennsylvania” painted in 1865 by Jasper Francis Cropsey. The painting in its original form is seen above. The mountain in the distance is represented in cooler, less saturated colors, and in less detail (smoother/blurry texture) than the plants and forms closer to the viewer, situated in the imaginary space just behind the pictured figures — representing a single point of view. The top left shows a flattened version wherein the space has been compressed by reversing these systematic methods of representing space. The version at bottom left shows a heightened version that creates an even more dramatic spacial representation of depth than the original painting. Painters such as Cropsey and his peers respected the Enlightenment values of their time and the empirical method of gathering their perceptions. Their beliefs influenced their formal choices and created very particular spaces. Consider how the lenses we choose help communicate more clearly an intention but also hold a particular territory in focus. IE: Land is God vs. Man is God vs. I am (in control, creating this world) God.

perspective: systems & techniques -----——————————-——————--———–_—

My experience as a painter was shaped primarily by a Western education that spoke of linear perspective as “accurate and true” to our perceptions. But through my extensive drawing practice, I began to suspect that this may not be the only truth out there. I found the use of multi-point, or axonometric perspective in Eastern painting communicated events concisely and privileged narrative over “truth of vision.” This is abstraction at the service of narrative. I have seen students from the East and West instinctively draw as if they were indoctrinated into the opposite system of constructing space; Westerners drawing axonometrically and Easterners depicting the world from a fixed point of view. After being introduced to the various systems of depicting space and seeing the subtle pros and cons of each system some students that find Eastern perspective “less true” will acknowledge that, in truth, the lack of a fixed point of view allows a more democratic viewing of the scene. And Easterners, upon viewing a scene depicted using Western linear perspective, based on observed reality, have spoken about how material, not spiritual, the image seems. Both have found reason(s) for the other point of view. Neither is necessarily more correct or naïve.

[16]

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When the same techniques of rendering spatial perspective in Western painting are applied to this 15th century painting by Yusef Zuleykha, as in the image above, it disperses the tension in the relationships that are important to the narrative and the image’s message falls apart.

representation: canonical & archetypal -----——————————-——————--———–_—

This is not to say that narrative is never privileged in Western painting. As in this painting, it sometimes is the primary intent, signaled here by the compressed spaces and canonical rendering of the figures. Vermeer can be seen as a link between the full form of nature and the flatness of a surface — linking the Eastern and Western principles. He is equally adept at both empirical (observed) and narrative (archetypical) forms. Considering systems of indicating and communicating observations of the world allows us to take some measure of an artist's intention and culture. Where does “truth” lie? Observation or Belief?

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[17]

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[18]

Single-point perspective implies an authority, an absolute truth that can and must be communicated to the viewer. With the fundamental changes in Western thinking ushered in by movements such as deconstructionism, structuralism, etc. this mode of story-telling and thinking was discredited. Contemporary artists began to use the hallmarks of singlepoint perspective in a self-reflective, possibly derisive fashion. Traditional notions and methods of achieving perspective were rejected or co-opted in favor of a flattened, abstracted view of the world. 69

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Part 3: INTENT

In light of what we have explored so far, we may ask, what are we to do with all of this information? How do we make our decisions in drawing, painting, or simply perceiving, given this knowledge? Much of any creative process is dependent on self-awareness and, in this context, that means finding our inherited, calcified notions of how things “should” look and rejecting them in favor of actual experience and communication. Our minds are designed to create meaning. They compile input and make it useful. I would argue that what is “useful” is temporal, almost faddish. Our new insights and innovations do not derive wholly from previous understanding and knowledge. Although frequently respectful of the past, most innovative thoughts contain/come from the “new.” This “new,” initially seen as weird, odd, perverse, stupid, silly, wrong or unimportant is the source of creativity—an inexhaustible font of youthful thinking. M.C. Richards once said that we prefer “consensus over original thought” and so it seems we find it near-impossible to go outside of belonging, to risk unsure, unbounded adventures of discovery. Perhaps this idea of consensus and the fear of risk it generates, is just based on a myth, a notion that we have security. As Helen Keller once said, “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men, as a whole, experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

photography: pattern seeing vs. felt -----——————————-——————--———–_—

1. shadows

2. mid-tones

3. highlights

INTENT -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

73 * all three combined or mechanically "synthesized"

When drawing from a photograph of the real world, we see the objects pictured not as they exist but as the camera has interpreted them. I always thought this was a silly distinction as the camera does a pretty good job. But take the example of what I show here of the three shots of the same scene with different exposures. None of them appear to be what our eyes see. And when we combine the shots, taking the correct "seen" exposure one that includes the highlight, mid-tone, and shadow, the image appears "silvery." Our iris is always adjusting to the light as we change our point of focus, so we never actually see this scene but it is compiled in our brain after we have scanned each detail.

photography

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INTENT -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__|| * drawn from a photograph, plotted and fixed

When we draw from a photograph, we do not maintain a continuous relationship to the movements of the scene as it appears in space in relationship to our bodies. We tend to scan the illusion of depth as if it was a flat pattern, a wall of sorts, with x/y coordinates and we map out the drawing accordingly. Instead of following a wave from its inception to its death on the shore, we might only examine a moment where it crests and in that only a small segment of that crest. Continuity is lacking. By contrast, drawing from observation, from sensing, the observer/ responder is drawing the situation in a more sensual and continuous manner. They are flowing from one level to another, creating not a fixed, digitized, and plotted image but an analogous, flowing point of view where you can easily imagine being in the presence of the object as the observer was and even possibly shifting your point of view to take in even more.

* observed & plotted

* felt

being there

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INTENT -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

I received an Outer Cape Artists in Residence Consortium (OCARC) artist’s residency on Cape Cod a few years ago. I wanted to examine one moving subject long enough that I might erode some of my preconceived, mediated visions— ideas accrued through the now typical exposure to photography of all that I experience— of that subject. I chose a wave. My initial studies—on this page—were noun-based, pieces and parts of the wave as I knew them, not as I sensed them to be.

being there

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INTENT -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

One day, just around dusk, I was walking over the dunes and a storm was coming in. I drew some quick pen studies of the surging sea, it was almost night, my drawings were hardly visible to me as the lines were so fine. Upon my return to my cabin I saw that these works had captured some elastic form of energy, starting at the horizon line, or where I could see no further, and ending at my feet. I had never allowed my attention to stretch that far and maintain continuity. I had sped my perceptions up to a point where time stood still. I could “see” the whole wave.

being there

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INTENT -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

The next day I drew the component pieces as I now understood them. I then craved to understand this phenomena not in line, but in shape and color, as it seemed more true to what I was perceiving. These last two drawings represent the culmination of many “failed” watercolor studies of the waves. I could not, can not, remake these drawings—they grow out of a “responding state”—not a one-way “making state”. They are the result of a conversation with the wave.

being there in two ways

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* observed/felt

INTENT -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

When first observing a situation we generally simply look at it and record its details. However, if we linger and spend more time, it reveals itself as a friend would, an unfolding that brings about knowledge beyond those first observations inevitably shaped by our vast storehouse of remembered imagery, the stereotypical. To function in the world we must establish symbols or canonical views of our environment and all the forms therein. But to gather information and opportunities for creative expression, we must go beyond this point of view. Where we must go is individually determined but guides to help us get there are common and more universal. At left is a drawing that is, on one side, sensed, following the flow of the water—it is observed and felt. It does not know where it will go. On the other side, the drawing is more self-conscious or thought-oriented—it is canonical. It knows where it is going even before it begins. One finds its way and follows the water and what it has to say, the other dictates and has already decided how the water should look.

* canonical/thought

Both manners of working described above have strengths. The canonical view is understood in a flash as the symbol for "water" and it is more universally understood. The observed and felt view of water is more individualized and may not even register as water for some people, but it may evoke some of the sensations that revolve around our experience of water.

canonical vs. observed

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[19]

INTENT -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

When we see an object, we can't help our automatic response to label the object. When we see a duck, our mind says, "duck." This helps us think and navigate our world and to communicate with others but it does not help us to actually see the duck that is currently in front of us. It helps us to see A duck, but not necessarily THE duck—doing what it is doing, how it is doing it this one split moment in time. To actually see the duck, we need to use gesture and draw quickly. This helps us to override the labeling and categorizing that is familiar to us so that we may access the immediate, unfamiliar, specific sensation of reality that is in front of us.

* observed duck

* canonical "duck"

canonical vs. observed

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INTENT -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

When drawing, it is important to keep in mind that time spent does not necessarily correspond to accuracy. In these student drawing exercises, the time allotted for drawing an object was progressively increased yet it is clear that the final, most lengthly drawing is not necessarily the most successful or even the most "true."

pattern and plotting

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[20]

INTENT -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

Camouflage is safety in nature. We mimic nature and it allows us to join the conversation as we disrupt expectation and definition of form. We can disrupt pattern as a strategy for communication and fulfill pattern as a way of blending in.

[21]

pattern and plotting

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INTENT -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

Computer plotting is measured, indiscriminate, and even. It is the antithesis of the human ability to choose at will, concisely creating a master drawing with only that which is necessary to convey a sense of form, light and touch. We often draw to show beauty, clarity or essence but this narrow focus, albeit familiar, is not always what is most needed in trying to communicate—especially the new, difficult or unfamiliar situations we find in our modern world. At left is a rendered/plotted version of the drawing pictured below. The subtle, instinctive decisions that constitute the original are rendered meaningless as the computer reduces all information into a series of data points of equal value. Though not pleasing to look at, the drawing on the left does reveal useful information to the viewer or, more importantly, a person intent on drawing the human hand. Far more information is crowded onto the relatively flat or undifferentiated plane of the back of the hand than might be evident to a first/canonical view. Given this information, it becomes apparent that the close, detailed looking that is usually fixed on the details of a hand—fingers, fingernails—must be extended to the larger, less detailed areas as well. 91

pattern and plotting

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INTENT -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

Our ability to complete a pattern allows for abstraction almost to the point of non-recognition. This ability seems to be closely aligned with our need for strong contrast and exaggeration of visual stimuli in order to sense, understand and act. To simply take one step we must perform countless machinations both physically and mentally. This “auto pilot” mode is useful for daily activities. But what we automate is also seen as useless and relegated to the “unseen” and inaccessible when we are creating. How do we engage this part of our mind, body, sense reality so that we may prepare the fertile soil of our mind as a field of unlimited possibility?

pattern and plotting

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The great works of Copley and Turner Some play… a few “equations:” Expression + Truth = Turner Accuracy – Air = Copley Simply my perception, neither equation or painting is seen as correct or naïve. Maybe distortions of facts. Maybe felt and understood. Surely true of heart.

[22]

INTENT -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

[23]

form sensing

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Your perceptive abilities stop because of the limitations of language. Use this list to move past the received and first-reaction descriptors when you are looking at a form. Use this list to help you find the intrinsic, unspoken form. [Inspired by Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies.]

|||_____-------_-___--___--___|||`|/--__——-—––—=————_—_____–—-–———–_––__________...._../____....--—---_____..>>_____.............,,-____——–––––_—_------_>--...-/..-.....>>>>>>,,

Abandon

Embody the object

Allow

Environment – switch

Alternate

Expand the 3D

Angles (increase/decrease)

Express then squash

Appearance

Fantasize and flourish

Around the world

Flatten the 3D…slightly

Build it a city

Forget it forever

Capture what you touch/see/think

Functions - expand

Celebrate beauty

Generate energy

Change form roles

Gesture

Change Position (Point of View)

God is in the details

Change gender – redraw

Grow Form

Change…just change

Guttural response

Children running

Have faith

Clarify all

Historical

Climax

Hold it

Collide

If it spoke a different language, what would it say?

Combine Comment – nothing original Complicate Connect – build/destroy Develop the personal Direct the situation Disconnect hand and eye Dissect DNA – document/transmutate Draw it in your head Dream it Draw the thoughts of drawing the form Edge – which side?

Imitate Implode Imagine the form creeping Imagine the form dissembling In the papers this week… Innards Investigate with tools Lick it – record Listen with your eyes closed hands open Look in another direction Look at the clock

INTENT -----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__||

--...-/..-.....>>>>>>,,.,..}|||||||||||||||||||||||||||[{-———_-_------_——————–-->/____|||\_______......-.->-...-____———––––----_—–_=_–---__-_==||...>.>...----__————....--.....–––

Lose and find a line

Show the act of building

Madness scribble

Stretch

Make a garment from/for it

Surround it

Map it

Systematize all action

Material dig, material make

Synthesize

Measure

Take a picture

Observation…discovery

Tell the story

Only think about it

Tension

Particular quality – invert

Test your proof

Pentimento

Talk to someone else through the drawing

Potential Preconceived only Progress not product Provoke an aggregation of memories Pull it apart Pure sensation Push it together Question your assumptions Question convention Question restraints Relationships Repeat, repeat, repeat Refine the riff, refine the riff Reorder the parts Rhizome Search in the dark Shape the shape Shrink/Grow the object Shrink/Grow the space Shrink/Grow yourself

Theorize Theta waves, pause…. Touch with a part of your body you don’t use to touch Unexpected Unrelated Usage Use someone else’s hand What’s it like? Where two meet

form "defined"

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form (fôrm) n. 1. a. The shape and structure of an object. b. The body or outward appearance of a person or an animal considered separately from the face or head; figure. 2. a. The essence of something. b. The mode in which a thing exists, acts, or manifests itself; kind: a form of animal life; a form of blackmail. 3. a. Procedure as determined or governed by regulation or custom. b. A fixed order of words or procedures, as for use in a ceremony; a formula. 4. A document with blanks for the insertion of details or information: insurance forms. 5. a. Manners or conduct as governed by etiquette, decorum, or custom. b. Behavior according to a fixed or accepted standard: Tardiness is considered bad form. c. Performance considered with regard to acknowledged criteria: a good jump shooter having an unusual form. 6. a. Proven ability to perform: a musician at the top of her form. b. Fitness, as of an athlete or animal, with regard to health or training. c. The past performance of a racehorse. d. A racing form. 7. a. Method of arrangement or manner of coordinating elements in literary or musical composition or in organized discourse: presented my ideas in outline form; a treatise in the form of a dialogue. b. A particular type or example of such arrangement: The essay is a literary form. c. The design, structure, or pattern of a work of art: symphonic form. 8. a. A mold for the setting of concrete. b. A model of the human figure or part of it used for displaying clothes. c. A proportioned model that may be adjusted for fitting clothes. 9. A grade in a British secondary school or in some American private schools: the sixth form. 10. a. A linguistic form. b. The external aspect of words with regard to their inflections, pronunciation, or spelling. 11. a. Chiefly British A long seat; a bench. b. The resting place of a hare. 12. Botany A subdivision of a variety usually differing in one trivial characteristic, such as flower color. v. formed, form·ing, forms v.tr. 1. a. To give form to; shape: form clay into figures. b. To develop in the mind; conceive: form an opinion. 2. a. To shape or mold (dough, for example) into a particular form. b. To arrange oneself in: Holding out his arms, the cheerleader formed a T. The acrobats formed a pyramid. c. To organize or arrange: The environmentalists formed their own party. d. To fashion, train, or develop by instruction or precept: form a child's mind. 3. To come to have; develop or acquire: form a habit. 4. To constitute or compose a usually basic element, part, or characteristic of. 5. a. To produce (a tense, for example) by inflection: form the pluperfect. b. To make (a word) by derivation or composition. 6. To put in order; arrange.

v.intr. 1. To become formed or shaped. 2. To come into being by taking form; arise. 3. To assume a specified form, shape, or pattern. Synonyms: form, figure, shape, configuration, contour, profile These nouns refer to the external outline of a thing. Form is the outline and structure of a thing as opposed to its substance: a brooch in the form of a lovers' knot. Figure refers usually to form as established by bounding or enclosing lines: The cube is a solid geometric figure. Shape implies three-dimensional definition that indicates both outline and bulk or mass: "He faced her, a hooded and cloaked shape" (Joseph Conrad). Configuration stresses the pattern formed by the arrangement of parts within an outline: The map shows the configuration of North America, with its mountains, rivers, and plains. Contour refers especially to the outline of a three-dimensional figure: I traced the contour of the bow with my finger. Profile denotes the outline of something viewed against a background and especially the outline of the human face in side view: The police took a photograph of the mugger's profile. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. form [fôrm] n 8. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) style, arrangement, or design in the arts, as opposed to content 9. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) a fixed mode of artistic expression or representation in literary, musical, or other artistic works sonata form sonnet form 17. (Philosophy) Philosophy a. the structure of anything as opposed to its constitution or content b. essence as opposed to matter c. (often capital) (in the philosophy of Plato) the ideal universal that exists independently of the particulars which fall under it d. (in the philosophy of Aristotle) the constitution of matter to form a substance; by virtue of this its nature can be understood 22. (Linguistics) Linguistics a. the phonological or orthographic shape or appearance of a linguistic element, such as a word b. a linguistic element considered from the point of view of its shape or sound rather than, for example, its meaning Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003 amorphism the quality of being shapeless. Also, Rare. amorphy. — amorphic, adj. anamorphism a distorted image of an object, as in anamorphic

art. Also anamorphosis. — anamorphic, adj. geomorphology Physical Geography. the study of the characteristics, origins, and development of land forms. — geomorphologist, n. — geomorphologic, geomorphological, adj. gibbosity the state or condition of being curved, especially convexly. — gibbous, adj. heteromorphism, heteromorphy 1. the quality of differing in form from the standard or norm. 2. the condition of existing in different forms at different stages of development, as certain insects. — heteromorphic, adj. morphonomy the study of the laws governing form in nature. — morphonomic, adj. morphophyly the study of the phylogeny of forms. omniformity the state or quality of having every form. — omniform, adj. palingenesis 1. the phase in the development of an organism in which its form and structure pass through the changes undergone in the evolution of the species. promorphology the branch of morphology that studies the forms of organisms from a mathematical point of view. — promorphologist, n. — promorphological adj. schematism the form, disposition, or outline of a thing or concept. — schematist, n. trimorphism the state or quality of occurring in three distinct forms, usually at different stages of development, as certain plants, organisms, etc. — trimorphic, trimorphous, adj. -Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. (The Free Dictionary online) etymon, root - a simple form inferred as the common basis from which related words in several languages can be derived by linguistic processes form - a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality; "sculpture is a form of art"; "what kinds of desserts are there?" form - any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline); "he could barely make out their shapes" shape, configuration, conformation, contour keenness, sharpness - thinness of edge or fineness of point bluntness, dullness - without sharpness or clearness of edge or point; "the dullness of the pencil made his writing illegible" spatial property, spatiality - any property relating to or occupying space topography - the configuration of a surface and the relations among its man-made and natural features lobularity - the property of having lobules concaveness, concavity - the property possessed

-----||||||||||||||||||||___---—————----———–_— -----———————————————————––– –_____ _----———–_—__|| by a concave shape convexity, convexness - the property possessed by a convex shape angularity - the property possessed by a shape that has angles narrowing - an instance of becoming narrow curvature, curve - the property possessed by the curving of a line or surface roundness - the property possessed by a line or surface that is curved and not angular straightness - freedom from crooks or curves or bends or angles crookedness - having or distinguished by crooks or curves or bends or angles stratification - a layered configuration form - the spatial arrangement of something as distinct from its substance; "geometry is the mathematical science of shape" shape attribute - an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of an entity solid - a three-dimensional shape plane, sheet - (mathematics) an unbounded two-dimensional shape; "we will refer to the plane of the graph as the X-Y plane"; "any line joining two points on a plane lies wholly on that plane" natural shape - a shape created by natural forces; not man-made flare, flair - a shape that spreads outward; "the skirt had a wide flare" figure - a combination of points and lines and planes that form a visible palpable shape line - a length (straight or curved) without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point angular shape, angularity - a shape having one or more sharp angles round shape - a shape that is curved and without sharp angles distorted shape, distortion - a shape resulting from distortion amorphous shape - an ill-defined or arbitrary shape connexion, link, connection - a connecting shape circle - something approximating the shape of a circle; "the chairs were arranged in a circle" square - something approximating the shape of a square triangle - something approximating the shape of a triangle; "the coastline of Chile and Argentina and Brazil forms two legs of a triangle" pillar, tower, column - anything that approximates the shape of a column or tower; "the test tube held a column of white powder"; "a tower of dust rose above the horizon"; "a thin pillar of smoke betrayed their campsite" plume - anything that resembles a feather in shape or lightness; "a plume of smoke"; "grass with large plumes" form - (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups; "a new strain of microorganisms" taxon, taxonomic category, taxonomic group animal or plant group having natural relations species - (biology) taxonomic group whose members can interbreed

form - an arrangement of the elements in a composition or discourse; "the essay was in the form of a dialogue"; "he first sketches the plot in outline form" literary genre, writing style, genre - a style of expressing yourself in writing versification - the form or metrical composition of a poem form - a particular mode in which something is manifested; "his resentment took the form of extreme hostility" fashion, manner, mode, style, way - how something is done or how it happens; "her dignified manner"; "his rapid manner of talking"; "their nomadic mode of existence"; "in the characteristic New York style"; "a lonely way of life"; "in an abrasive fashion" form - (physical chemistry) a distinct state of matter in a system; matter that is identical in chemical composition and physical state and separated from other material by the phase boundary; "the reaction occurs in the liquid phase of the system" state of matter, state - (chemistry) the three traditional states of matter are solids (fixed shape and volume) and liquids (fixed volume and shaped by the container) and gases (filling the container); "the solid state of water is called ice" dispersing medium, dispersing phase, dispersion medium - (of colloids) a substance in which another is colloidally dispersed form - to compose or represent: "This wall forms the background of the stage setting"; "The branches made a roof"; "This makes a fine introduction" constitute, make up, comprise, be, represent - form or compose; "This money is my only income"; "The stone wall was the backdrop for the performance"; "These constitute my entire belonging"; "The children made up the chorus"; "This sum represents my entire income for a year"; "These few men comprise his entire army" chelate - form a chelate, in chemistry add - constitute an addition; "This paper will add to her reputation" form - develop into a distinctive entity; "our plans began to take shape" take form, take shape, spring regenerate - be formed or shaped anew become - come into existence; "What becomes has duration" form - make something, usually for a specific function; "She molded the rice balls carefully"; "Form cylinders from the dough"; "shape a figure"; "Work the metal into a sword" carve - form by carving; "Carve a flower from the ice" swage, upset - form metals with a swage chip - form by chipping; "They chipped their names in the stone" layer - make or form a layer; "layer the different colored sands" cut out - form and create by cutting out; "Picasso cut out a guitar from a piece of paper" machine - turn, shape, mold, or otherwise finish by machinery

grind - shape or form by grinding; "grind lenses for glasses and cameras" stamp - form or cut out with a mold, form, or die; "stamp needles" puddle - subject to puddling or form by puddling; "puddle iron" beat - shape by beating; "beat swords into ploughshares" create from raw material, create from raw stuff make from scratch preform - form or shape beforehand or determine the shape of beforehand preform - form into a shape resembling the final, desired one mound - form into a rounded elevation; "mound earth" hill - form into a hill roughcast - shape roughly remold, reshape - shape again or shape differently sinter - cause (ores or powdery metals) to become a coherent mass by heating without melting mould, mold, cast - form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold; "cast a bronze sculpture" throw - make on a potter's wheel; "she threw a beautiful teapot" hand-build, handbuild, coil - make without a potter's wheel; "This famous potter hand-builds all of her vessels" work on, work, process - shape, form, or improve a material; "work stone into tools"; "process iron"; "work the metal" sculpt, sculpture - create by shaping stone or wood or any other hard material; "sculpt a swan out of a block of ice" mold, mould, model - form in clay, wax, etc; "model a head with clay" form - assume a form or shape; "the water formed little beads" change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" constellate - form a constellation or cluster culminate - rise to, or form, a summit; "The helmet culminated in a crest" granulate, grain - form into grains conglobate, conglobe - assume a globular shape bunch, bunch up, bundle, cluster, clump - gather or cause to gather into a cluster; "She bunched her fingers into a fist" brecciate - form into breccia; "brecciated rock" reticulate - divide so as to form a network flake - form into flakes; "The substances started to flake" head - form a head or come or grow to a head; "The wheat headed early this year" bead - form into beads, as of water or sweat, for example Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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IMAGE CREDITS

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[1] Domenico Barrière (c.1622–1678), Façade of the Oratorio dei Filippini, 1658 [2] Francesco de’ Rossi (1510–1563), Figure vue de dos, portant une urne, 16th century, pen and brown ink, brown wash gouache, 11.4 x 8.1 inches, currently located at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Marseille [3] Miniature from the book Omne Bonum by James le Palmer, London, England, 1360–1375, written in Latin [4] The Murmurations of Starlings, ©Menno67 dreamstime.com [5] Ashley Crum, Marina City Towers in Chicago, Illinois, Wikipedia, 2006 [6] Columns in Apamea, Syria, stephencodrington.com 2010 [7] Raphael (1483–1520), Madonna of the Pomegranate, circa 1504, black-grey chalk, currently located at Albertina, Vienna [8] Giambologna (1529–1608), Heracles Beating the Centaur Nessus, 1599, currently located at Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence's Piazza della Signoria, Wikimedia Commons, photographers: Yair Haklai (right) & Sailko (left) [9] Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780–1867), Portrait de François Pouqueville, 1834, sketch and study [10] Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780–1867), Sketch for Madame Moitessier, c. 1834, graphite on wove paper [11] Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), Study of a Male Figure Seen from Behind, Wikimedia Commons, Corel Professional Photos CD-ROM

[12] Martin Poole, Lavender, 2014, Alkyd and oil paint on canvas, 20 x 16 inches [13]Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), St. Jerome in his Study, 1514, copperplate engraving, 9.8 x 7.6 inches [14] Copy of Qiu Ying (1494–1552), Spring Morning in the Han Palace, second half 17th century, ink and color on silk with ivory jiku, 12.25 x 186.5 inches, Walters Art Museum [15] Jasper Francis Cropsey (1823–1900), Starrucca Viaduct, Pennsylvania, 1865, oil on canvas, 22 x 36 inches, Toledo Museum of Art [16] Yusef Zuleykha, 1488, Herat, Afghanistan, Cairo National Library [17] Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675), Woman Holding a Balance, 1662–1663, Oil on canvas, 16.7 x 15 inches, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. [18] Alexis Semtner (1984– ), Box Flock, 2007, oil on linen, 72 x 48 inches, courtesy of the artist [19] Pompeii, House of the Faun, cat mosaic, Naples, Archaeological Museum [20] Peter van Agtmael, Magnum Photos. AFGHANISTAN. US Marines. August 13, 2009. General Stanley MCCHRYSTAL, commander of ISAF forces in Afghanistan, meets with Marine and Afghan commanders on FOB Delhi in Helmand Province. McChrystal frequently goes on 'battlefield circulations' around Afghanistan to see for himself the conditions on the frontlines. Later, he went on a patrol through the bazaar in the district center of Garmsir. [21] "Camouflage tree stand" uploaded to Wikipedia by Te178407 September 21, 2011, cc

[22] J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851), Wreckers— Coast of Northumberland, with a Steam-Boat Assisting a Ship off Shore, 1833–1844, oil on canvas, 48.27 x 60.24 inches, Yale Center for British Art [23] John Singleton Copley (1735–1815), Watson and the Shark, 1782, oil on canvas, 91.4 x 77.4 cm, Detroit Institute of Arts

FOOTNOTES

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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Thanks to Rhonda Mann for many, many, many conversations and arguments regarding form — who else would argue about form? My student assistants Lauren Denitzio, Juan Patino and Sable Elyse-Smith for their support and guidance of content. Carmen McLeod for her design expertise and gentle refinement of my verbal attempts to clarify. To the expert minds of dancer/choreographer Julie Hall (your "baby man"), neuroscientist Ed Vessel, mathematician Josek Dodziuk, chemist Carl Minchew and cognitive psychologist Alan Gilchrist. To the many students I have had in my drawings classes that basically drove this craving for information and the need to open it up to all potential masters of form. To my friends, Marty Poole and Isaac Green-Diebboll for their welcome twists on my "twists" of reality. And most lovingly to my partner, Jim Sullivan for his grounding support that allowed this vision to find its voice.

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