Introducing Numberism!

Strolling through Portland’s Saturday Market a while back, amid the huge treasure trove of handmade local goods, I stumbled upon something — or, someone — truly wonderful. Now, I’m thrilled that I get to share with you the artwork of Portland, Oregon artist Sienna Morris.

Self-coined “numberism,” Morris’ style blends together the worlds of numbers, science and art in a whole new way. From afar, her drawings and paintings reveal defined, recognizable images, yet when you step closer, you’ll notice that there are no lines, there is no shading … the entire piece is made up completely of numbers. “This work is how a naturally non-mathematical artist celebrates a mathematical world,” Morris says on her website. And she doesn’t just throw any random numbers into her work. Spending anywhere between a week and an entire year researching each piece, Morris carefully chooses numbers that are directly related to the images and ideas she creates.

And get this … one of her most striking prints belongs to me! Last Christmas my truly inspired gift-giving sister surprised me with Morris’ Seahorse piece, featuring flowing green seagrass and a detailed pink seahorse. The numbers used to make up the seagrass — 12,000 — depict the miles of seagrass destroyed each year, while the numbers of a clock, 1 – 12, were used to create the seahorse to signify the passing of time.

Morris is fascinated by the concept of time and the impact of the present moment. Through her artwork she connects our right brains and our left brains into one lovely, grey in-between as we consider scientific concepts from a visual point of view, while paradoxically absorbing visual artwork from a scientific point of view.

And lucky you … you don’ t have to live in the Northwest to view this stunning artwork! Check out fleetingstates.com to see Sienna Morris’ complete gallery, and read more about her process and the story behind her symbolic style. And there’s even more info about her process and upcoming works in a complete article featured in The Oregonian newspaper!

Enjoy!