Acrylic and latex on canvas, 4 x 6.5 feet, 2014.

The final digit of every square number, off into infinity follows the pattern

1 – 4 – 9 – 6 – 5 – 6 – 9 – 4 – 1 – 0

Each color in this work represents one of those numbers, 1, 4, 6, 9, 5, or 0 and writes out the final digits of the first 70 square numbers, reading from left to right. Below is a diagram of a small string of numbers, with their final digit emboldened, next to the color represented by that number:

These numbers are arranged in their final orientation (7 x 10), so that a single 5 and a single 0 occur in all seven columns of this work, ending with 70 * 70 = 4900, i.e. the final 0, which completes the pattern. This work is meant to evoke an appreciation for the beauty of the many repeated color relationships and patterns that are formed by the very nature of the overarching mathematical origins of the concept. Three squares along a diagonal, or perhaps a group of four colors in a larger square that occurs at a regular interval throughout the painting create their own individual context, their own personal significance, while simultaneously perpetuating the theoretical underpinnings of the work.

 

In process image gallery: