To achieve meditation, some turn to yoga or music; others indulge in sacred geometry. At the Divine Dimensions exhibition at the Third Eye Gallery inside Norman’s Ashtanga Yoga Studio, visitors can view images inspired by the latter, an ancient practice.
While researching the art of sacred geometry, artist Stephen Deckard decided to make a pattern of his own that would help him better understand the practice. The first one he made involved a series of interlocking circles. This experimental image, rightfully titled The First, marked the start of his 12-piece exhibition.
After receiving positive feedback on that initial piece, he made more, and Kenneth Haltman, curator of Third Eye Gallery, asked him to create a collection for display.
Deckard’s art affords viewers an aesthetically pleasing experience that can relax the mind. At first glance, he said, each image seems to hold just one large pattern. Upon closer examination, however, a variety emerge.
“They’re all different patterns and they do different things when you stare at them,” he said.
Some patterns went unnoticed even by Deckard until completed, such as The Dharma’s accidental yin and yang embedded within a larger pattern.
All of the Divine works were created using only colored pencils and pastels, aside from one that also contains chalk and acrylic paint. Some incorporate patterns seen at ancient sites worldwide, from the star tetrahedron to the Fibonacci sequence.
“Doing this really opened my mind to how complex geometry can be and just how all this stuff is connected,” said Deckard. “I really wanted to bring awareness to sacred geometry and how reality is really constructive.”
