Helena Kauppila

Natural Cuts

My paintings often begin with moments when I become aware of being part of something larger. Natural Cuts began with a mathematics problem a friend told me about: imagine geometric shapes falling randomly onto a surface—after a given amount of time, how much of the surface will be covered? The problem made me look differently at the overlapping leaves of trees in a park. Overlaying polygons is a stable form: however many are added, the resulting regions are still polygons. Yet the relationships between these regions can become increasingly complex.

I was also thinking about sunlight passing through the leaves and about the elementary pieces of visual information that enter our awareness. Our visual system begins by registering features such as edges and contrasts, while the leaves absorb, reflect, and transmit light and the spaces between them allow it to pass through. This interplay of geometry, light, and perception gave me a framework in which I could build the color layers slowly. The painting became one of my most complex explorations of color, while allowing the individual colors to remain fresh.

Intersted in "Natural Cuts"? Inquire below.

Getting it home

Pick up the painting from Zeitgeist at the end of the exhibition, or have it shipped to you. I’m happy to provide a shipping quote.