Recently, a friend of mine sent me a very interesting link to a digital copy of an old book of Japanese wave patterns.
The book is from the year 1903, and it is said to still be used by artists and craftsmen. When I first looked at the book it reminded me of images I have seen in museums, on clothing, and even in some tattoo art.
The patterns are simple, yet striking. I decided to try some of them out. It was a new experience for me to work from a pattern book. I decided I would fill the page with patterns and not worry about what the final product looked like. In all, I tried over a dozen patterns.
Some patterns were made up of angular lines, and some of curvy lines. The process of drawing these reminds me of drawing feathers in some drawings of angels and birds that I have done in the past.
The purpose of this exercise was not to make a nice picture. It was just to practice some new techniques. It was very meditative to repeat so many marks. In the end, I like some parts of my picture. But there are also plenty of lines and arrangements that I don't like.
The purpose of art is not always to be beautiful. It certainly is not always to make money. Art is human expression. Some people monetize it. Some people share it. Some people don't. I think that everybody should make art because I think that making art is part of a healthy human life.
Art is also communication. In this case, it was nice to receive these patterns from a friend. I made sure to send the link to some other friends who I thought would appreciate them. And, now I am sharing them with you.
What kind of art do you make?
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