Pattern Design Course

One session during the Pattern Design course I taught at Victoria College of Art, we explored the concept of Notan. I had been keen to find out if the point in a notan design where the tension between the light and dark areas produced an oscillating balance was the same point for each student. Group critiques of individual's designs proven there was a point when everyone saw it happening.

Another exercise was to find examples of the many different types of patterns we had examined.
Each example was analysed to work out how the pattern was made then it was documented in the student's Pattern Dictionary with a detailed description. By the end of the course, those bulging Pattern Dictionaries had become an invaluable design resource for each student.

Victoria College of Art Studio

My sister and I spent the day in the Lower Studio at the Victoria College of Art getting it ready for a new course I am teaching on pattern design.
This is the before shot.

Sister Donnel started with cleaning the wet studio.

The storage area had a pile of new tiles we found out we could put down in the main studio.

So with the help of Keith, the maintenance person, we moved all of the furniture, pulled up the old tiles, washed the floor, laid the new tiles down in a mosaic pattern (of course) and moved all of the furniture back.

Donnel wielded the staple gun and made the print tables then hung textiles on the walls, while I did photocopying and organised supplies and equipment.

Here I am, pleased to be ready for my class tomorrow.

Waiting for students

Pattern in the UK

On a recent trip to the UK I looked for pattern wherever I went.

Mosaic floor tiles in an endless variety.

Organic patterns in stone.

Patterns made with different materials.

What a feast for the eyes

West Coast Storm Watching

We had a few days on the West coast of Vancouver Island last week. Our mission was 'Storm Watching'. I want to see those power-pole sized logs being tossed like toothpicks high up the beach as though it was a game of pick up sticks.
But once again the weather was way too pleasant, though one night we did hear thunder and see lightening and we found a small newly-arrived log resting on the beach.
We got in lots of walks along different beaches and explored the area more.
It was a most relaxing time.

Setting up Textile Studio

Yesterday morning i shopped for supplies for the new textile arts studio at Victoria College of Art.
In the afternoon I finished off painting the edge of the floor.
Ron and Barb McCaffrey turned up and took charge of laying down the floor tiles.
This is Barb looking mischievous. She has a plan.

When Barb arrived and saw the damaged grey side of the tiles laid out she was disappointed the room didn't look as new as it should. So she and Ron pulled them all up again and stacked them according to colour. Barb eliminated the pink tiles and with Ron worked out a pattern to use the remaining 3 colours.

When i returned from a meeting, i found this. It looks great. Just the effect i wanted - stimulating and not like any one's living room. Thank you Barb and Ron.

While we have been cleaning and painting, George, the Victoria College of Art illustration/animation instructor, has been upstairs above us painting a mural on his computer studio wall.
Here it is complete, another inspirational studio in the college.

Spore Patterns

With the warm wet weather we have been having, all sorts of fungi have been sprouting up.
Here are some images of spore patterns made by some of them.

They look like those retina images one now gets when having one's eyes examined.
Or is it mushroom iridology?