Graham Allan.
Stamrod Goldfinger.

I’m Graham Allan, a Bristol-based artist working under the name Stamrod Goldfinger. I make string art by hand, winding coloured thread around pins to build up layers of geometric patterns.

I have a degree in mathematics from the Open University. I’m interested in how simple rules can produce complicated results: straight threads suggest curves, repeated shapes overlap, and a pattern looks different when you move around it.

Colour and light are part of the work. I use UV-reactive threads and experiment with coloured lighting, exploring how some threads become more prominent while others seem to disappear. The photographs and videos here show the same work under different conditions.

Alongside making art, I write about an idea I call “knowing the vague”: recognising something without being able to describe it precisely. It’s an ongoing subject for me, rather than a finished theory.

You can also find out about my string art workshops.