Doug Craft: Artist Statement

A perfection and unity of form exist in nature that I believe represents fundamental aesthetic beauty and the fundamental basis of Sacred Geometry. Nature is sublimely organized from the subatomic to the cosmic scales following the mathematics of fractional symmetry (fractals), self-similarity, and the Golden Ratio, denoted as the Greek letter phi (φ, the irrational fraction 0.618...) or Phi (Φ, the irrational number 1.618...). For example, adjacent bones in your fingers, adjacent chambers in the shell of a chambered nautilus, and the positions of the features on your face are all scaled according to the Golden Ratio. Golden Ratio proportioned branching is seen in microscopic crystals, bird feathers, and trees. Similar forms also appear at vastly different size scales in nature: the structural model of the atom is repeated at the solar system and galactic scale, and many microscopic and satellite images are very similar in appearance.

In addition to appearing as a proportion throughout nature, the Golden Ratio has been recognized and used as a formal element by artists throughout the ages. My collage, photography, and painting continues the ancient tradition of appreciation for this universal geometry. All my work is created using forms based on the Golden Rectangle (aspect ratio of 1: 1.618...), overlapping Golden Rectangles (square-root of 5 rectangles, aspect ratio 1: 2.236...), tandem Golden Rectangles (aspect ratio 2: 1.618...), and the use of Golden Triangles as a template for figurative collage object placement and as collage objects.

While my early collages and recent work feature figurative collages, a large body of my work from 2000-2012 juxtaposed Golden Proportional images of nature from several levels of magnification. I often combine images from the microscopic to the cosmic scales, applying what I call the Collage of Backgrounds. These abstract nature images are actually representational and obey the same geometric and mathematical laws of form that are similar at all scales of enlargement. This combination of micro, macro, landscape, and planetary scaled images in Golden Ratios dramatically underscores the unity of fractal forms in nature. Further, my work suggests that formal beauty in art is based on a recognition and emulation of universal structure, and that abstraction and realism are part of the same underlying process. I published my aesthetic theory based on the fractal structure of nature in the academic literature in 2012. Click here to download a PDF file of this paper.

Thanks for taking the time to view my work. I am currently arranging and promoting my own exhibitions, but would welcome inquiries from art brokers and fine art galleries regarding representation or licensing of specific artwork. Contact me if you have questions concerning my work or are interested in purchase details.

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