The French curve was invented to solve problems, not create them. It is an obedient servant of engineers, architects, and draftsmen—a cold piece of steel that promises perfect, repeatable curves with no surprises and no opinions. It exists to eliminate human error. That seemed like an excellent place to begin.…
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In the middle of the twentieth century, at a moment when architecture was rapidly aligning itself with industry, standardization, and the logic of the machine, Le Corbusier proposed something at once rational and poetic: a system of measurement rooted not in abstract units, but in the human body. He called…
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There are many noble pieces of advice offered to young artists. Study the masters. Practice daily. Learn anatomy. Respect composition. Observe light. Carry a sketchbook. Be humble. Be bold. Be original. Be timeless. And then, somewhere off to the side—leaning against a wall, coffee in hand, slightly amused at the…
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Legally, Grand Theft Donut is the unlawful taking and carrying away of a donut belonging to another person, with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of that donut, where the value of the donut exceeds a specified statutory amount or meets criteria established by law. When the lawyers get…
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A field becomes a system. A system becomes a tension. In Point, Line, Sphere, Plane, the composition is built from the most elemental vocabulary of visual language—each component both asserting order and quietly undermining it. A point anchors. A line extends and divides. Spheres gather energy into soft centers. Planes…
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The distinction between a symbol and a sign is subtle at first glance, but foundational once seen clearly. Both are carriers of meaning. Both point beyond themselves. But they do so in fundamentally different ways—one by agreement and precision, the other by resonance and depth. A sign is direct. It…
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Number One: Pursue Obsession Without Apology The subjects that return to you uninvited — the ones you feel almost embarrassed by their persistence — are precisely the ones worth pursuing. A personal visual language is built from obsession, not from subjects deemed appropriately serious or commercially viable. The embarrassing preoccupation…
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One might ask why this matters — whether it is not, finally, a self regarding project, a kind of extended navel-gazing with better materials. The answer is that a genuine personal visual language is one of the most outward-facing things a human being can produce. When you construct a language…
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Sometime, within the first few weeks of art school, someone will say it. A professor, a visiting critic, a paint-stained upperclassman leaning in a doorway–they say the same thing. And, it sticks with you: “Create your own personal visual language.” The phrase lands with the weight of instruction and the…
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The Artist 
Eric Hatheway