Thoughts on Lucy West's "Origins" - by Mario John Borgatti

http://www.lucyweststudios.com/

What I see in Lucy West's "Origins" is not only a beautiful and engaging painting but a cerebral time machine as well, limitless in it's power to spark one's imagination and hence our intellect. This fascinating piece challenges us to ask: Where do we come from and where will our cosmic journey eventually take us? The longer I studied the myriad images within Lucy West's work, the more I felt as if I were traversing a portal and being transported through a magnificent kaleidoscope of imagery and color that must surely reside within the artist's being.

At the risk of sounding like an armchair philosopher I must admit I have often wondered: Is there something within our genetic code that compels us to think and create? Do we harbor an inner force so potent that we can neither suppress or dismiss it? Why do we work into the early morning hours painting, designing or writing, knowing the alarm clock will be blaring in a few hours? Perhaps some of these questions may eventually be answered by recent, and ongoing, discoveries being made by mathematicians who study the realm of fractals, a modern term for geometric shapes that exhibit the properties of self-similarity.

Although the mathematical basis for fractal geometry dates back to the 17th century it was not until the advent of powerful computers and related software, capable of generating imagery at over 100 billion times magnification, that viewing the product of these infinite numerical progressions was possible. Many mathematicians now believe that these exquisite and seemingly endless patterns and colors, generated by a simple equation, could possibly be implanted in the psyche and fiber of every human being; so much so that their influence may be responsible for some of the most wondrous works of art ever created by knowing man. Astonishingly, examples of these works, which span thousands of years, bear a striking resemblance to the fractal images we've only recently been able to observe.

The creation of "Origins" is a perfect example of what science is now discovering: Self-replication permeates the natural world. From the smallest creatures, the tallest trees, even the fleeting snowflake and within every genome there is a similarity interwoven throughout the universe. And, I do believe no one has ever stated it better than the artist, Lucy West, when referring to this splendid concept she remarked "Self-replication, how elegant!"

  Arthur C. Clarke presents - Fractals: The Colors of Infinity, was my first introduction to the subject. After watching it I had a better understanding of why I, like other artists who design, perform and create in whatever field they have chosen, seem to be driven by a force beyond their control.