In our interview on Monday, professional photographer Sally Wiener Grotta talked about using histograms to help determine the exposure she needs to best reflect her subject in a photograph. If you took any statistics in high school or college — or have
Math at Work Monday: Sally the photographer
Photography is one of those art forms that looks easy but is really challenging — at least challenging to get it done right! Writer and photojournalist, Sally Wiener Grotta describes how math helps her compose the best photograph, including perfect lighting. Can
Cubism: Deconstructing geometry in art
When my brother Graham was in kindergarten, he learned a little bit about Pablo Picasso. And so my mother decided to take the whole family to a touring Picasso exhibit at the Smithsonian, which featured five or so of his paintings, including some of
Drawing the Human Figure: Relative proportions
My middle school daughter aspires to be a fashion designer, and so she’s been concentrating lately on learning to draw female human figures. Last Friday, she came home from school and immediately logged on to the internet in search of
Math at Work Monday: Shana, Ursula and Ann
y birthday is this week, and I’ve decided I don’t want to work so hard. So today, I’m bringing you three archived Math at Work Monday interviews–two artists and a museum curator. Enjoy! Shana Kroiz: Jewelry artist Shana has been designing
Pretty as a Picture: Using math to hang your art
Today, I bring you an excerpt from my book, Math for Grownups. Enjoy! (Now you have your weekend project planned for you.) Hanging pictures can be a tricky business. If you’re not careful, your foyer can look like a hall of
Composing a Painting: The Rule of Thirds
In my interview with painter, Samantha Hand, she mentioned something called the Rule of Thirds. I’ve heard of this, but I honestly had no idea what it was about. Turns out the Rule of Thirds isn’t really about thirds, per se. Instead
Math at Work Monday: Samantha the painter
Sam doesn’t remember this, but when she and I were in middle school, I used to ride home with her on the bus after school, when we’d watch Godzilla on television and eat her mother’s homemade potato bread. At that time, she
Glass Blowing: Where the math heats up
Since interviewing Elizabeth Perkins for Math at Work Monday, I have been obsessed with the process of glass blowing. I’ve watched videos and read about the step-by-step process. I still don’t know much — this stuff is complicated! — but there are a few little
Fibonacci: When art imitates nature
On Monday, I introduced you to Elizabeth Perkins, an up-and-coming glass artist in Seattle. (She also happens to be one of my former students, but that is mere coincidence. I take no credit whatsoever for her success and talent.) In her
Math at Work Monday: Elizabeth the glass artist
I’ve known Elizabeth Perkins since she was about 16 years old, I think. In fact, I’ve always called her Beth. I was Beth’s geometry teacher way back when. And I was so excited to find out that she’s now a very
Welcome to February: Warm up with art
Last night, my family and I had a real treat. In the midst of an impossibly busy week, we took time out to sit in a darkened theatre and be transported to another land and another time. As the lights