Amanda Owens

Undergraduate Student
McDaniel College
Westminster, MD
As a double major in math and art, I am interested in exploring the ways that these subjects can intersect. My artwork conceptualizes mathematical ideas within compositions of lines and color. The mathematical concepts can range from theorems to math problems and even to simple mathematical properties. I work with acrylic on wood panel, leaving open spaces within the composition for the natural wood grain to show through and contrast with the geometric components of the painted areas. I utilize color, line, and paint application to highlight the contrast of the organic and the geometric. This juxtaposition examines the way math and art fit together. They oppose one another, but still work together to create a beautiful composition.
Theodorus and Pythagorean Proofs
23.75 x 23.75 inches
Acrylic on wood panel
The Pythagorean Theorem can be proved in different ways and it has many applications, the characteristics of the Spiral of Theodorus being one of them. Every pattern and shape in this painting is either a picture proof of the Pythagorean Theorem or is an extension of the spiral. The shapes and lines partition the composition into separate sections. The colors of those sections is determined by the geometric shapes that they intersect with, creating a spiral of color radiating out from the center of the Spiral of Theodorus.
Moving around the table, n=6
24 x 24 inches
Acrylic on wood panel
How many ways can n people move around a table by only moving one seat to the left or right, with no two people sitting in the same place? Finding the solution is only part of the fun. This work of art is one part of a small series displaying the solutions for small values of n.