Birds and Flames by Tis Veugen

About "Birds and Flames"

by Tis Veugen

About the artwork

This non-periodic image has five-fold symmetric patterns as in Penrose P3 tilings. The thick rhombi contain buzzards, the thin rhombi fire flames. The edges of the thin and thick rhombi have all the same form, either translated or rotated. One thin rhombus has rotated edges at the acute corner, and the other thin rhombus at the obtuse corner; the same goes for the thick rhombi. So, there are 4 different shapes. One thick rhombus has 3 rotations (with multiples of 72 degrees), the other thick one only 2. One thin rhombus has 4 rotations, the other thin one none. In total there are 10 (rotated) tiles, each with a different coloring. The image has been constructed using the pentagrid approach of N.G. de Bruijn, my former professor.
The 5 fire flames are designed in a special, unique way such that neighboring flames always “burn” continuously. You can see this in particular in the top left corner where a circle of flames is located with a ten-fold symmetry of thin rhombi. There are many places showing quintets of 5 birds surrounded by flames. Usually the birds have their beaks together in the middle. Only in rare places there are surrounded quintets of birds with their tails together; you'll find them at the top right corner and at the bottom center. The quintets seem completely symmetrical and the rotation symmetry is preserved to a greater or lesser extent. For example, look a little above the middle, where a quintet is surrounded by 10 flames.