Cubistic (2017) is a Necker cube study. The work is a perceptual oil painting that explores visual ambiguity and cognitive interpretation through geometric abstraction. Its starting point was the concept of the Necker cube—an optical illusion first described by Swiss crystallographer Louis Albert Necker in 1832. Continue reading “Cubistic (2017)”
This Hyperbolic Surface sculpture was constructed out of paper in 2001 with Christopher W. Tyler.
Connecting regular 7-sided polygons (heptagons) together to form a surface results in a geometry that cannot exist in flat (Euclidean)
space. Instead, it creates a regular tiling of the hyperbolic plane. Specifically, the arrangement where three heptagons meet at each vertex
forms the heptagonal tiling with Schläfli symbol. Continue reading “Hyperbolic Surface by Christopher W. Tyler and Amy Ione”
Luca Cambiaso (1527-1585) was a Genoese School painter and draughtsperson. He visited Rome at least twice and Michelangelo was a powerful influence on the massiveness of his figures, although a softness of modeling perhaps has more in common with Correggio. Because some of his figures are constructed using simplified cubic shapes, they look remarkably modern.
Continue reading “Cubist Figures (Homage to Luca Cambiaso) (2020)”
This unfinished circle grid documents my process.
Upon completion, the work was titled Gradations and Imperfections, and it was slanted to add to its resonance. The completed piece is here.
This unfinished composition on Masonite offers a glimpse of my painting process. The work was begun before I began my Neuroscience and Art book, which was published in 2024. This piece was set aside during the writing process and still awaits completion.
Circles—shapes associated with harmony and balance—form a central element of my visual vocabulary. While not the case here, at least not in this point of the image’s creation, in many of my works circles appear alongside ellipses. This is unsurprising given that an ellipse can be described as an elongated circle. In other words, the ellipse shape generalizes a circle, which is a special case of an ellipse. Continue reading “Unfinished Circles”
Pisces (1985) was a pivotal piece. It incorporates the Pisces symbol into the composition, and is not a narrative work in any way. Its vibrancy comes about due to the use of spirals and patterning—and it built on my discovering that creating lines with different sized pen widths added a perceptual musicality. This discovery is discussed on The First (Pisces) page.
This small, intimate work foregrounds “mutation” as both subject and method. It began with a vertical line of squares and with slight changes on the vertical axis, the pattern was transformed into an open column of triangles at the end. Overall, the piece expresses a noticeable change in character, appearance, function or condition on a 2-dimensional plane; a metamorphosis that adds a perceptual dynamic to the black-and-white geometries. Continue reading “Mutation Study #1 (2018)”
This small-scale sketch is a minimalist compositional sketch that explores perceptual ambiguity through geometric division and tonal modulation. It is expressive of my interest in how the brain processes visual stimuli. On this piece four triangular sections converge toward an off-center point creating a dynamic tension between symmetry and depth. The resulting percept is a folded illusion that evokes origami, architectural drafting, and geometrical syntax. At first glance some people see the lines going inward, while others perceive an outward projection. Longer engagement will result in seeing both possibilities.
Continue reading “Sketch for Counterpoint #1 (2025)”
Gradations and Imperfections is a circular panel animated by a dynamic checkerboard pattern, rendered in a palette of rich blue and creamy beige squares. Perceptually, it’s diagonal grid evokes a sense of movement and playful disruption. Each square and stripe varies subtly in hue and texture, inviting close examination of the painting’s hand-painted qualities. Continue reading “Gradations and Imperfections (2025)”
