Hex Painting

Continuing my Shapes series, I present to you a polygon which both gear heads and math nerds can appreciate. The hexagon has no need to defend its rightful place amongst the noblest shapes. The six-sided wonder can be found throughout nature and is a symbol of harmony and balance. It is one of only three shapes that can regularly tessellate (triangles and squares being the other two), and when it does it is most efficient requiring the shortest lines to cover the greatest area. Bees are intimately familiar with this, building their strong hives using the least amount of wax. In a similar fashion, a hexagonal arrangement is the most efficient way to pack circles or spheres which is evident in how fruit is stacked at the grocery market. NASA’s Voyager and more recent Cassini missions have discovered a fascinating hexagon-shaped storm larger than our planet on the North Pole of Saturn. Cooled water molecules will naturally bond to each other in a hexagonal lattice creating the mystifying snowflakes we cherish each winter. The hexagon has even cemented its place in many areas of culture. It is at the heart of the Star of David. It is the core of the Flower of Life. And any art director will tell you a quick and easy way to create a sci-fi feeling is to use hexagons everywhere!