1. “Abstract Path on the Sea” by Rosa Younessi. 2. “Untitled” by Amy K. Flatten. 3. “Kalachakra” by Keith Prossick
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VISUAL ART As a PhD student at Tech, Amy K. Flatten suddenly realized she liked abstract art. It began as a search to find attractive posters to decorate her apartment walls and then, over the past decade, evolved into an urge to create art of her own.
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Flatten, MS ESM 86, PhD ESM 93, took an abstract art class as a summer diversion and has been painting ever since, building it into a side career as she works full time as director of international affairs for the American Physical Society. The two endeavors offer a nice balance, and they overlap more often than she expected. “One day in art class, I noticed how often my art teacher also used the term ‘problem-solving.’ That commonality with my science studies really struck me,” Flatten said. “When beginning an abstract piece, I often start with a terrible mess of lines and blotches. I have to analyze the piece and find a way out of the ‘mess’ by creating a balance of line, shape and color. It really draws upon my analytic nature.” Rosa Younessi, EE 05, on the other hand, grew up in the arts. Her father, GH, is an internationally known artist, and she grew up watching him in the studio. At Tech, Younessi organized a group of student painters who met on Friday nights. “Tech was a great starting point to discover, learn and create,” she said. “You build a foundation, discover
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