SELF-ORGANIZATION

Self-organization, also called spontaneous order, is a process where some form of overall order arises from local interactions between parts of an initially disordered system. The process can be spontaneous when sufficient energy is available, not needing control by any external agent. It is often triggered by seemingly random fluctuations, amplified by positive feedback.

Self-organization occurs in many physical, chemical, biological, robotic, and cognitive systems. Examples of self-organization include crystallization, thermal convection of fluids, chemical oscillation, animal swarming, and neural circuits.

Self-organization is an example of the related concept of emergence - In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence occurs when an entity is observed to have properties its parts do not have on their own, properties or behaviors which emerge only when the parts interact in a wider whole.

Emergence plays a central role in theories of integrative levels and of complex systems. For instance, the phenomenon of life as studied in biology is an emergent property of chemistry, and many psychological phenomena are known to emerge from underlying neurobiological processes.

 

A NEW VOCABULARY

Art is a form of communication, but does it have a tongue? Is it a language? Does it speak to us as literature does, with symbols and syntax?
Early pictographs were a hybrid of picture and writing, and once separated into art and letters, could they ever be reconciled?
If the language of art is shape and color, then it must transcend the limitations of any specific literate language. It is potentially universal in its expression while defying explicit or mundane interpretation.
Its closest analog is poetry, where unexpected juxtapositions can trigger the imagination to extrapolate worlds of meaning and significance.
From the cave wall to the gallery wall - visual, visceral, material, and timeless - Art endures as the most potent form of human communication.

The 2018 glue season begins with a pictographic experiment in biomorphic shape, where color formulas are allowed to expand within a vocabulary of wet cell forms.
It's important to remember that each cell showcases the expression of the materials themselves - the character of their chemistry. I facilitate but don't interfere.

Above - #1801, 24" x 24"
Below - #1802, 24" x 24"
Ink and watercolor suspended in polyvinyl resin glue on cradled wood panels

Details

NEW GALLERY, NEW YORK

#1708, Ink and watercolor suspended in polyvinyl resin glue on cradled wood panel, 24"h x 36"w - at Ric Michel Fine Art, NY (click to enlarge)

William Loveless glue paintings are now available through Ric Michel Fine Art, New York, NY

http://ricmichelfineart.com/artists/william-loveless/

Telephone (212) 710-1048

SOCIAL MEDIA

The individual and the collective - the integrity of the primary identity vs the give-and-take of social interaction - the iconic self at one level, the organic merging of personalities in a shared space at another level.
These themes are applied in a new series of works that combine individual formulas with a communal space in which they interact.
In this example, 55 formulas were selected and applied at random on the first layer of wet glue encompassing the format surface. Here they push and pull at each other - some establishing dominance, others being contracted by their companions; some merging, others remaining distinct.
Once dry, their relationships become a history of permanent record. A fresh layer of glue is then applied on top, "pushing back" the first layer with a milky translucence once dry..
Finally, individual wet cells are created in which the original 55 formulas are allowed to grow separately.

(Above) #1616, Ink and watercolor suspended in polyvinyl resin glue on cradled wood panel, 36" x 36"

Click to enlarge

TIGHTER

#1602 (Hex test), 24"h x 18"w, Ink and watercolor suspended in polyvinyl resin glue on cradled wood panel

The first acid test for new formulas, Spring 2016.
I've introduced a tighter grid to allow more tests within the format space.
The hexagonal grid is based on the honeycombs of beehives, which maximizes the number of cells within a given volume. It is also more visually dynamic than a square grid, with more complex diagonal relationships implied.

Below is a photo sent by the collector who purchased the piece, as installed in their home.

CURRENT REPRESENTATION - William Loveless Glue Paintings

Studio One 11, 68929 Perez Road, Cathedral City, CA  - (760) 770-1111 (Palm Springs area)

Fresh Paint Art, 5835 W Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232- (323) 931-5835 (Los Angeles area)
http://www,freshpaintart.com

Michael Warren Contemporary, 760 Santa Fe Dr., Denver, CO 80204 - (303) 635-6255  - http://www.michaelwarrencontemporary.com

Red Arrow Gallery, 919 Gallatin Ave, Nashville, TN 37206- (615) 236-6575
http://www.theredarrowgallery.com

Modern Arts Midtown, 3615 Dodge St, Omaha, NE 68131- (402) 502-8737
http://www.modernartsmidtown.com

Eaton Fine Art, 900 W Loop Blvd, Austin, TX 78756 - (512) 323-2628 -
http://www.eatonfineart.com

THE DRAPE

#1515 (Warm Drape), Ink and watercolor suspended in polyvinyl resin glue on cradled wood panel, 36" x 36"

In a radical break from my usual practical and highly organized research methods I indulge in a spectacular experiment of organic formula interaction. With only a list of red and black formulas to refer to, and a working knowledge of their properties, I begin by pouring the wet glue at the top and allow gravity to pull it down into a drape-like shape within the prepared format. The formulas are introduced at random intervals as points that quickly flower and communicate with each other - creating a rich and sensual tapestry of action and reaction.
The fact that all of this interplay takes place within a single defined shape distinct from the square frame of the glue-bed format gives it a sense of "entity", suggesting a figure-ground relationship rather than a wall-to-wall field - - regardless of the myriad unique and distinct entities within.
It is many and it is one.

MOLECULAR COMMUNION

#1511, Ink and watercolor suspended in polyvinyl resin glue, latex paint on cradled wood panel, 36" x 36"

Individual related formulas (small cells) are linked around communal pools (large cells) into which they are introduced together to interact freely (see communion).

The wood grain of the support panel is exposed here (sealed with several coatings of glue) in order to make the linear linkages visible.

Really had my "mad scientist" hat on here.

Click on image to enlarge

COMMUNION

#1512, Ink and watercolor suspended in polyvinyl resin glue on wood panel, 36" x 36"

Curiosity leads me to create a communal space for the individual formulas to intermingle freely in their wet state. Once limited to the size of the cell in which they expanded alone, they now reveal another dimension of their character by competing for space - some pushing others aside, some compacting, some merging with others.
A fascinating process to behold, and a whole new area of research to develop.
Various strategies of communion are represented here, many with the wood grain surface of the cradled panel revealed for the first time (instead of being covered by the usual 1/4" thick bed of glue) to allow greater differentiation between formula cells and communal pools, but more about that next time.....

24" x 24"

12" x 12"

18"h x 24"w

FINAL ACID TEST 2015

#1504 (Final Acid Test), Ink and watercolor suspended in polyvinyl resin glue on wood panel, 36" x 36"

acid test - a decisive or critical test, as of worth or quality

The first large piece (36" x 36") of the season is the final acid test, which combines the best of the new formulas with older formulas that are still active (see extinct formulas).
The hierarchy of cell size is based on the natural spread strength of the expansion events themselves.
This piece will remain on the studio wall through the rest of the season as a reference for planning future experiments.

(Click on image to enlarge)

THE ACID TEST 2015

The 2015 glue season begins with tests of new color media combined into notated formulas.
A few examples (wet):

After about 500 tests, the most promising results are compiled.

The formula notations are plugged into a design grid for reference. This will be the plan for the acid test.

Finally, the formulas are dropped on a permanent glue bed for the first time. This is the acid test, where the formulas will prove their mettle, designated "#1501" - first two digits reference the season year, second two digits the consecutive order of completion. Dimensions 24" x 24". (click to enlarge)

The 2015 season begins.

The English Room Interview

http://www.theenglishroom.biz/2014/12/01/artist-spotlight-series-william-loveless/

CONCENTRIC STRATEGY

#1420 (Concentric Strategy), 36" x 36", Ink and watercolor suspended in polyvinyl resin glue on wood panel. SOLD

#1419 (Concentric Strategy), 24" x 24". At FRESH PAINT ART, Culver City, CA.

Analogous hue groups of varying cell sizes orbit a central point.

RADIAL/CONCENTRIC HYBRID

#1418, 24" x 24", Ink and watercolor suspended in polyvinyl resin glue on cradled wood panel

In a variation of the Radial Strategy, a circular pattern of cells is added for the first time.
Though it appears simple, creating a template for a circular arrangement of evenly-spaced cells was an unanticipated geometrical challenge in the planning stage.
Once mastered, it begged to be expanded - - but that's a story for next time....

NEXT:  The Concentric Strategy (Grand Finale, Season 2014)

RADIALS

#1412 (Radial Strategy 1), 36" x 36", Ink and watercolor suspended in polyvinyl resin glue on cradled wood panel. At FRESH PAINT ART, Culver City, CA. - SOLD

This strategy synthesizes variable scale and symmetry into a new approach that emphasizes dramatic stepping from center to periphery.

Various color criteria are explored within each format.

The theme of expansion is finally given play in the arrangement of cells itself, with microcosmic suggestions of molecular structure and macrocosmic suggestions of "Big Bang" cosmology.

.....And within this effusive pattern, a reminder of the joy of existence.

Radical new possibilities are opening up.

(Above) #1414 (Warm Radial), 36" x 36". At Michael Warren Contemporary, Denver, CO.

(Above) #1417 (Cool Radial), 36" x 36". - SOLD

Please click on images to enlarge.

SYMMETRIC VARIABLES

Arranging the variable grid (see previous post) in a symmetrical structure gives prominence to the larger expansion events and creates a hierarchy of of emphasis, with a kind of rippling echo effect from the center out.

Overall, this can be seen as something of a return to a more predictable grid, but with an important difference - it allows the "shepherding" of the viewer's attention along individual rows of cells.
Groups are now functioning as vertical columns, with hues changing gradually as they move up and down.

It also suggests the idea that a glue painting can have a "center". which presents a whole new realm of possibilities for inspiration....

NEXT: "Radials"

Please click on images to enlarge.

THE VARIABLE GRID

William Loveless, #1405, Ink and watercolor suspended in polyvinyl resin glue on cradled wood panel, 24"h x 36"w.

Early in the 2014 season, with new formulas identified, I begin work on the grid design itself.

For many seasons now, I've had a vague desire to diversify the grid format somehow - to allow more flexibility and make it more visually dynamic while retaining its research integrity.

I found that by dividing the format into alternating zones of measurement I could create a kind of visual counterpoint of scale, an optical analogue of musical counterpoint.

Expansion events could now be large, medium, and small and spaced accordingly - a more "punctuated" approach - - and a complex design challenge in itself -  a kind of puzzle in which all parts must fit and balance.

 William Loveless, #1404, Ink and watercolor suspended in polyvinyl resin glue on cradled wood pane, 12"h x 46"w. Painting at top (#1405) is SOLD.

As of this writing, these paintings are available through Fresh Paint Art, Culver City, CA. Painting at top (#1405) is SOLD.

Click on images to enlarge. 

EXTINCT FORMULAS

Formulas which are no longer active, having mysteriously ceased to function.

New color media will be tested and new formulas discovered and the old will give way to the new. It's the nature of research.

Glue paintings are a permanent record of these phenomena.

FRESH POSSIBILITIES - WET TESTS 2014

Wet tests, 2014

The season begins with new color tests. Once the properties of new colors are known, they can be combined with others to create an endless variety of new formulas. Fresh possibilities are pictured here, still in their wet state and in the process of expanding. Hundreds of tests like these will be made.

Their value to future research will be determined after they dry; but while in the process of becoming, anything seems possible.

I observe with anticipation and no small sense of wonder.

(Click on image to enlarge.)

WL, June 2014

Glue Season 2013

Annual end-of-season photo, 2013. Emphasis this year on grid variations - Hex Grid, Lateral Pairing, Nucleotide Sequencing, and Vertical Stacking. Single extended expansions and compacted miniatures also appeared for the first time.