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Process

Process

Work in progress (Random Acts of Beauty XIV).

Work in progress (Random Acts of Beauty XIV).

 
 

It all starts with numbers...

For each piece in the series "Random Acts of Beauty," I use an online resource to generate an array of random integers. I arbitrarily assign each number to represent a particular image variable—for example, big/small, black/white, circle/square. I draft a grid on paper or panel, and then "transcribe" what the random numbers represent. I sometimes make mistakes in transcription, and I incorporate these mistakes into the piece—another way to be open to chaos.

Because all the "thinking" happens before I start a piece, creating the piece itself is almost mindless. The rhythm of transcription induces a sense of calm, and indeed I have used this process as a meditation in moments of stress.