Lucky Trust (version 1)

Fifty-one point four is what I measured with my compass. I then plotted out the course for each degree setting for the seven rays emitting forth from the center of this picture. I had to draw a circle around the center as a frame for which each successive degree point could be plotted so that, then, I could draw the connecting lines with a straight-edge ruler. I have long known how to make a seven pointed star, drawing it by hand and eye-ball for measurement, but, this time, I needed it to be more exact so that the designs and patterns wouldn’t be too asymmetrical the further out from the center they proceeded.

In some of my blogposts on my Art of eVan fan page on Facebook, I had been giving hints as to what this drawing I’ve been working on for a couple weeks now was based on. I mentioned inspirations for this piece as coming from some of M.C. Escher’s art, Celtic knot patterns, and Islamic mosaic designs. I had been exploring my pisciform spirit designs in my sketchbook as a new addition to the Micro-Chimerism series I’ve been working on since 2008.

I started imagining what it would look like to have these fish-like designs coiled around a simple post. Then I started to imagine having the forms coiled around the bars of star designs. It’s all a very exciting development to me because it showed me how complicated designs and intricate measurements don’t just appear in my mind in finished form in the beginning of a series. I have to start with basic ideas and shapes. I build from there, and my mind starts grasping more and more intricacies, and leads me further into estimations of complexity.

A lot of the underlying composition for the repeated designs is based on the line and the peak and the trough of a wave. Three dimensional depictions are fleshed out from basic two dimensional shapes and lines. The coiling fish follow patterns of waves, while the structure of the gold star follow straight line patterns, save for the spiral patterns at the ends of the seven arms of the star.

Lucky Trust is what I titled this piece. The usage of a metallic gold pen was a later decision I made in the planning stages. I decided it would be a good color to use, as gold is symbolic of wealth and royalty. I used green and red for the colors in the bodies of the pisciforms. As the Christmas season approaches here in the United States, green and red colors predominate the markets, and styles for decorations. I like the combination of these colors regardless of the season however. I just figured I’d use the gold, green, and red colors to ride the wave of the current trends here.

I also wanted to play upon the notion that a design can attract things like wealth. So the picture is intended to be like a lucky charm for you to imagine having it as a framed print hanging on your wall. Seven is often associated with luck, and seven points are what compose the star in this drawing. It also has an elaborate golden braiding quality to its extensions, along with spirals denoting the ends. The triangulations of smaller fish filling the fields between the braids of the star are swimming around what look like little golden coins.

What I’ve learned about money in my research of it is that it is basically founded in trust and relationships. Money is meaningless without other people to conduct transactions with and share it. So Lucky Trust became the title, as security, structure, relationships are expressed in the symbology, colors, shapes, and forms herein what you see.