Geometry and the Book of Art

There are a lot of geometry figures in the Book of Art.

I like constructing geometric figures because it's calming; I suspect using the compass is similar to knitting in terms of neurological feedback.  On one hand, the constructions are like little puzzles, which are stimulating; but on the other hand, they give me a sense of ordering things, which is calming.  I find they're usually more calming, because if my brain is chattering at me at the end of the night and I can't sleep, about fifteen minutes drafting figures gets me into a more restful state of mind.

Hexagons from circles fascinate me because I have a strong feeling that putting them together illustrates the structure of the universe; drawing them gives me the same sensation as humming in a stairwell and discovering the harmonic frequency of the space.

Another favorite construction is ten five-pointed stars in a circle.  This pattern shows up in zillij patterns a lot.  I like it more than combinations of eight or twelve stars because the stars aren't distorted in order to fit.

Triangles and 2:1 circles are fun, too.

I've had this particular compass forever.  I should get a travel case for it, because it gets a little banged up travelling lose in my shoulder bag (and occasionally the needle sticks me).