The above pattern is very unique in that it tricks the viewer into thinking it is about one thing, but then sort of says something different. What I mean by this is that on first glance, the viewer sees various circles inside one another, as if Delaunay drew several circles on a canvas and then filled them in with paint. After a closer look, however, it becomes apparent that the circles are not filled with color so much as the colors make up the circles. The painting would be incredibly different if it was only in black and while. The colors add a new abstractness to the circles than the use of line would alone.
William Morris - Tulip and Willow
I have always loved Medieval-style art and the intricate details of it. Many of Morris's pieces are inspired by this Medieval craft style. He was even part of the Medieval Crafts Guilds, a group of artists, architects, and craftsmen who were dedicated to maintaining a high level of quality among their works. This piece is no exception. I love the way he tediously overlaid the leaves with each other, and added depth with the different hues of blue. The leaves, which are those of a willow tree (which also happens to be one of my favorite kinds of trees) are very reminiscent of leaves and vines used in Medieval lettering. I like that this can be turned into a recurring pattern as well due to the subtle repetition in gray behind the blue leaves.
Marimekko - The Kalevala
This Marimekko fabric was inspired by the Kalevala, the Epic Finnish national poem. The poems were a contributing factor to the puh for Finland's independence from Russia. This particular pattern features the animals from the poems which were enchanted by a kantele, which is a string instrument similar to a zither. The poems in the Kalevala feature mythological situations and emit a storybook quality, which is something I have always had a passion for. In addition, they remind me almost of spirits, like in movies like Pocahontas and Brother Bear. I have always had a love of Native American culture and Egyptian hieroglyphics, which were clear stylistic inspirations for this piece.
Persian Patterns - Rugs
Growing up, my family has always had a lot of European and Asian pieces due to the amount of traveling my Grandfather and Father did through the military. I have always grown up with intricately patterned rugs, which always struck me as incredibly beautiful. The above rug is one of the nicest patterns I found which also reminds me of the rugs I grew up with. While I love patterns that can be repeatedly perfectly, I also love the kaleidoscope look of images that are horizontally and vertically flipped, then placed next to each other to create a clear repetition. The colors used in the above rug and it's finely detailed, curling lines truly illustrate this kaleidoscope look. The stripes on either side of the rug, which act as a border similar to borders found on the pages of Medieval books, seem to be a signature aspect of these Persian patterns, particularly rugs.
Japanese Patterns - Umbrellas
Japanese culture has several signature items and designs which are easily identified as Japanese. One of these such staples is the traditional Japanese umbrella. In American society, umbrellas have typically been used for the beach and rainy days. In Japanese culture, they are instead used to block the sun, or simply as a fashion accessory with traditional Japanese attire. They are typically made of wood and a perhaps a less water-resistance fabric than traditional American's one, which they then paint on and create intricate designs. This pattern exemplifies their unique shapes and lightweight design. The way all of them sort of lay on top of each other, or seemingly float through the sky, gives the impression of them being lighter than air. This particular pattern also utilizes the negative space in the image by using the white at the lines for the umbrellas instead of the blue.
My Own Pattern Design
I also created my own pattern. I really liked the Marimekko designs we looked at and had started this design several months ago, but had never though of making it into a pattern. I used the Marimekko patterns as inspiration to complete this one.
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