adam

surface-tiling curves

semi-technical description and examples of a new way to use space-filling curves
kaanp april 2023

Probably despite his better judgment, Thomas Zachary has once again invited me to appear on his podcast, The Knoxville Area Artist Networking Platform, a.k.a. the KAANP. Listen as he, cloverfinearts, and I destroy pieces of our own art, practice ephemerality awareness, make fart noises, and discuss Batman. Oh, we talk about art too. For reference,…
Pool of the Black Star video

short film to accompany music by KillDry
knot theories iii

Geometric and abstractive works in metal sculpture, painting, woodworking, papercraft and other media illustrate basic principles of topology and tiling.
axonometric tiles

Lattices of three different colors intersect over a field of triangles. The large hexagon contains the basic unit for the pattern, made up of transformed copies.
double quad knot

Two knots based on 90° radial symmetry intertwine. The same material (steel) is heat treated with different processes to create two different colors.
cistercian counting bands

Two similar shapes demonstrate the component symmetries necessary for Listing bands with odd and even numbers of twists. The symbols on the bands are inspired by the Cistercian counting system, with each line segment representing a digit.
negative single twist components

A helix and a hexahedron are both composed from a single component, a negative single twist knot.
double tri unicursal knot

Rotated copies of two identical outlined knots weave together.
infinity knots

Five knots are bent into the shape of a larger knot, the symbol for infinity.
perspective hex

Eight knotted hexagons cover the surface of a cube in a pattern which is identical on each face of the solid.
branching unknot

Two unknots are arranged vertically above a charred wood base. The shape of the metal makes self-supporting convex and concave arrangements possible.
multi-dimensional hex knots

Two sets of interlocked hexagonal rings traverse three color fields.
woven tile hexahedron

Copies of a single metal tile are woven together to form a cube with a concave vertex.
isometric hexagonal lattice

A three-hexagon structure repeats to form a lattice made of knots.
metatronic solid face (hexahedron)

A single shape shows four negative paths curving around the center where they would otherwise intersect.
penta angle swirl

A unicursal decagonal star intersects five chained quadrilaterals. The chain gives the impression of a five-pointed star. 41″ x 41″ x 4″ The design combines a unicursal knot with some extra chained shapes.
isometric hex knot

Outlined knot segments are inlaid with copper wire. Each segment follows a path which eventually returns to its origin.
unicursal polygonal tercet

Stippled paint creates a unicursal knot design. The aggregation of dots suggests straight lines not present in the artwork. This single component is connected end to end with two rotated copies to create the knot. Doubling the individual segments of the knot design does not disrupt the over / under pattern that knot diagrams have.
hadassah 5783

lattice knot detail in cut paper
cusp

14 short pieces for traditional and electronic instruments
artist statement

Motivation / Goals Identifying a challenge For me, making a new artwork begins with a question I don’t immediately know the answer to. It ends with the artwork as the proof that the answer I came up with is true. The middle part, figuring it out, is often more time consuming than shaping the actual…
tri unknot

A line broken by an inner negative space rotates to form an unknot, a continuous line with no overlapping. The component used as the basis for this piece, as well as the resulting structure, can be unraveled to form a loop. Tri Unknot will be on display in the McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) starting June…
tri unicursal knot

A unicursal line is inlaid in copper on the face of a hollow truncated tetrahedron. The knot creates a cognitive visual illusion of three shapes versus two. The illusion that there are sort of 3 shapes but only really 1 is something I like about this one.
layered multi polygon knot

A group of three similar polygons rotate to form a knot. Multiple glass layers show colors, the knot itself, and a faint outline.
metatronic solid (hexahedron)

Four lines make a reversed knot pattern covering all faces of a hexahedron, regardless of rotation (this same pattern can tile a plane). One of my most basic rules for knot creation is that knot lines only cross one another in pairs. Any more than two lines appearing to overlap in the same place doesn’t…
unicursal hex knot

A self-intersecting line rotates to create a hexagonal shape. The line can be followed from any point all the way around to loop back to its beginning. This was another experiment involving cut paper on charred wood. My first attempt at realizing this design was with wire in encaustic medium, shown here. Even though it…
tri angle polygonal knot

A parallelogram and a triangular line rotate to create an overall triangular shape. Encaustic medium covers gilded ink. My first step was putting the main design down in ink. (I phrased the media used in this piece as “Patty Ink” because it once belonged to Pat Lauderdale, someone who always encouraged my artistic endeavors. She…
lattice tile

One component of an interlocking tile extends its connectors and uses color variations to imply depth and an isometric perspective. Stained veneer is inlaid in a wood background. This piece involves a bit of experimentation with an isometric knot. The interlocking square shapes require more than one color to give the effect that they are…
knot tiling triangle-faced polyhedra

A single shape tiles the faces of all three equilateral triangle-faced regular polyhedra with knots.