About me – Linda Saul

I was born on the Isle of Wight and now live near Reading, UK. I’m an established painter, but algorithmic art is a newer thread in my creative journey — one that bridges my background in computing with my lifelong interest in visual form and pattern.

Before turning fully to art, I worked for many years in the IT industry. After studying Computer Science at Cambridge, I began as a compiler writer and later moved into more commercial roles. Along the way I completed a second master’s degree in computing, and more recently an MSc in mathematics. My current algorithmic coding practice evolved directly from my mathematics master’s dissertation on aperiodic Wang tiles.

As a painter I work in water based mixed media and collage and am a member of the Royal Watercolour Society. I exhibit regularly in London and have had work in the Royal Academy Summer Exhiition. My paintings are totally different from my digital work – see my other website lindasaul.co.uk.

About my algorithmic work

My digital art begins with code. I program in Java, using the Processing libraries to help me shape and explore visual ideas — but every line of code is my own. None of the images, or the code that generates them, are produced by AI.

Much of my current work is inspired by tilings and tessellations, following my study of aperiodic Wang tiles during my maths master’s. I design both the tiles and the rules that govern how they can connect, and then let the program arrange them using random input. The results are often surprising — sometimes because of an unexpected outcome or even a coding mistake — and these moments often spark new directions and designs.

I love the way emergent patterns appear as the system unfolds, often revealing structures I could never have planned. Most of my works are meant to be seen large (up to a metre square), yet they also invite close inspection — which is why I often include both full views and detailed sections on this website.