Art and Math

I stated in an earlier blog that art is not like math; there is more than one correct answer. What I didn't say was that art and math are buddies, and that in order to make art a working knowledge of math is essential.

This can create a dilemma for someone like me, who began failing math at age 9 and continued to fail it in a spectacular fashion all the way through graduate school. I Christmas treed The ACT and GRE,and there is not enough therapy and drugs available to make me take an exam involving math ever again in my life.

Life is full of irony, and some of my best tools are a tape measure, a T square and a ruler. Artists for centuries have used geometry and algebra as essential components for creating artworks, particularly on a large scale. I have a painting in my studio I haven't finished for months because I got stupid and ignored the (1" to 5") scale I had set and the corresponding grid. Now I have to paint over large bits. So much for the process being all touch-feely.

In life an ability to measure any number of things is pretty important. Reading blueprints and understanding dimensions when building a home, measuring spaces for furniture, assessing a space for appliances and other home stuff all require basic math skills. Mess up and it can be costly and embarrassing. Believe it or not, I have taught 18 year old students who did not know how to use basic measurement skills, like how to draw 1" square on a piece of paper or understand the marks on a ruler.

We measure people, too. Sometimes they "measure up" and sometimes they don't. Get it right and all is well with the world and relationships go smoothly. Get it wrong and then measure up the high cost of fixing it. Yikes!

On that note, here's a thought provoking quote:
"Each of us will one day be judged by our standard of life - not by our standard of living; by our measure of giving - not by our measure of wealth; by our simple goodness - not by our seeming greatness."
William Arthur Ward