Pattern Spotting : Looking Back to Look Forward

Are you trying something new, or building, developing and spotting patterns?

Facebook recently flashed up one of those ‘remember this’ photos. I rarely pay attention to this Facebook feature, but this particular post was of a photograph of some art I had made in 2015, titled Signals Part Three. The art sold to friends in the USA, and the photo which Facebook nudged into my view, depicted the finished, framed, displayed pieces.

I really enjoyed making these art works. At the time I was experimenting with new forms of paint, and the colours in these works were all made from just three tubes of paint. The sense of geometry in these works, periodically played with in order to create some gentle disturbance, was and is part of my artistic experimentation.

The main thing I took from this Facebook reminder, is that our work is an evolving thing. I often feel reluctance to take part in and share something new, when in fact, what I am usually doing is tweaking and refining. A process, a design, an idea. I don’t like to dwell in the past for too long, and a brief look back often helps us look forward. If you were to flick back through your work a couple of years or so – what patterns might you find? More to follow…

 

Author: Doug Shaw

Artist and Consultant. Embracing uncertainty, sketching myself into existence. Helping people do things differently, through an artistic lens.

2 thoughts on “Pattern Spotting : Looking Back to Look Forward”

  1. I turned off my notifications on Facebook for past posts. I find it time consuming to be woken up to my memories every day! I prefer to start the day looking towards the future!

    1. I can see why turning them off may be useful, and I don’t dwell on these things so I’m happy to invest a minute or two in return for the smiles I get back. Generally, I’m at my best in the moment, not the past, not the future. Spending too much time looking over your shoulder is probably not helpful, and it is necessary if pattern spotting matters. It doesn’t matter to everyone, sure, and it matters to me. Thank you for popping by I appreciate it.

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