First Project(s) of 2012

I have started working on two projects for this semester because I could not decide between the two. 

The first idea I had for the first project came from several ideas and things I have attempted in the past.  One of these, was to create boxes using a mat board and build up to make it three dimensions without cutting anything part of the mat board completely off.  This was very unpredictable but I wanted to see if I could create something with the three-dimensional result. After getting very frustrated trying to get it to stand and look somewhat aesthetically pleasing, I decided to go in a different direction.

For this project, I wanted to make similar boxes to create a grid-like pattern for a  three-dimensional painting, which I also have done in painting classes.  Here are some of the sketches I've done for this:

These show how I am building on the idea and how I would like it to look and how I want to assemble the parts.  For the painting I want it to be basic colors and shapes as one would see in a memory.  This was inspired by Joan Mitchell's idea to preserve memories.

The second idea for the first project came to me as I was reading The Divine Proportion: A Study in Mathematical Beauty by H.E. Huntly.  I have not finished the book because I find myself trying out the math and figuring out how the 1:1.6180 ratio works and trying to see if I can find the ratio in various things.  Using the ratio, I tried drawing the logarithmic spiral and got a basic understanding of how the ratio works.

Although, I figured out that I can draw the spiral, I wanted to do something more with it.   I drew the spiral in Adobe Illustrator and plan to laser cut the pieces to create something new.  I may make two to four of each piece and possibly make it movable by connecting the pieces in the corners just to experiment.  This idea just came from what I have learned so far in the book and I want to experiment with it.