Artist Lecture - James Siena

James Siena "Multi-Colored Nesting Unknots" 2004, Gouache on paper, 11" x 8-1/2"

James Siena "Enter The Faces" 1996
enamel on aluminum
19-1/4" x 15-1/8" (48.9 cm x 38.4 cm)

James Sienna, "Corner Drawing", Second Version, graphite on paper, 10 3/4 x 8 1/4", 2000.

James Siena, Battery Variation II, 46 ½ x 37 ¼ inches , 2005, medium unknown

James Siena "Twirly 2" circa 1994-1995, medium and dimensions unknown

James Siena, "Shifted Lattice", 37x27.5", date and medium unknown

I went the the James Siena Painting and Printmaking lecture and found it outstanding. His work really deals with some of the ideas I've been working with this year. Ideas about natural rhythms and patterns. His work particularly reminded me of a research blog I did about sacred geometry. All of his work has a natural flow to it and the way the elements interact and change is very organic. "Multi-Colored Nesting Unknots" and "Enter the Faces" especially reference sacred geometry with the apparent use of fibonacci sequences, they make me thing of this image:
He says his work is built upon a series of rules that he has laid out for himself. This is interesting because it reminded me of my methods of relating music to visual art. Sometimes he will make varying pieces based on the same rules but with different colors making them appear totally different. I really like how he uses rhythms and patterns, they seem to give the paintings a movement or vibration to them. I liked that he said he sometimes breaks his rules because his work is so natural and his thought process is another natural element in the making of his work so if he has a thought to do something different he goes with it.