Painting in Ice - Layer Three

This is the third and final layer in the Ice Painting Abstracts experiment. These photographs were taken after allowing the ice block to remain outdoors on my balcony for three days, thereby allowing the colours of the second layer to slowly interact with those on the third layer as the sun slowly melted the ice block during the daylight hours and it refroze during the evenings.

All photographs are done on macro.

Painting in Ice - Layer Two

The Layer Two photographs mark a shift in how I applied the paint from that of Layer One. Whereas in Layer One I injected paint into water with syringes and eyedroppers, in Layer Two I diluted different colours of paint in small amounts of water and then poured them strategically onto the ice one at a time, slowly building up the ice block as each colour froze.

Painting in Ice - Layer One

Painting in Ice is the outcome of a weeklong experiment in using water and ice as a canvas for painting. The idea and inspiration for spawning this project stems from a post entitled, Ice Man from the blog Independentista that I follow on a regular basis. Therefore, a special thank you to Philip for providing the seeds of inspiration for this project and for getting me back into using a medium I have not worked in for many many years.

Dreaming Sleeper

I am
A thought
Floating Up
From a deep well
of nothingness
A dream

Attitude

Work in a public service oriented environment long enough and inevitably you will come across attitude in all its many splendored forms. Bearing that in mind I decided to share this water abstract photograph I took last fall while hiking the Medway Valley Heritage Trail.

Bird Man

Bird Man is photograph I took one sunny day on an early spring morning in knee deep snow at Komoka Provincial Park. I had gotten off the main trails in the park and was following the course of a creek into a secluded valley hidden amongst the pine trees when I came across a section of the creek where new spring growth was coming up in crystal clear water. Taking advantage of the crystal-like clearness of the water I set my focus to the surface in order to use it as an extra lens. After a series of shots in which the image continually changed and evolved due to the water flow, Bird Man emerged.

I find it fascinating how magical water can be when used as an artistic medium. Water not only reflects it also appears to retain a long-term memory of what it has reflected and at any given moment too recall it under the proper conditions. It's almost as if water absorbs a piece or essence of whatever it has observed and reproduces those reflections as a form of communication for future viewers who are observant enough to notice.

Holy Mountain

Holy Mountain is the photograph that initiated my in depth exploration and love of water abstract photography. I was out on a hiking one of my favourite trails with a brand new digital camera in tow two autumns ago when I came across a section of Medway Creek that exhibited the most interesting colours. At this point I stopped, pulled out the new digital camera, and began putting it through the paces exploring all the different settings and features.

Needless to say, it was while playing around with the zoom settings on macro under differing light conditions and colour filters that I came across a method for creating water abstract photographs that have have the feel of paintings like the photograph, Holy Mountain.

It took me almost two years to come up with the title, Holy Mountain for this photograph. There was so much depth to this photograph that each time I looked at it something new would grab my attention. It wasn't until recently that I realized the one constant throughout my many contemplative observations of this photograph that there was always a golden haloed mountain ever present in the background, hence the title Holy Mountain.

Mask

Mask is the end result of some experimentation at home one evening with the shutter speed and exposure length settings on my digital camera. The source object for Mask is an end table lamp.

Unlike most of my abstract photographs which take anywhere from days to months for a title to present itself too me, the title Mask came very quickly to me for this photograph. I imagine the reason for this lies in the fact that it made me think of a poem I wrote a very long time ago in my youth called The Chameleon which reflects the essence of Mask.

The Chameleon

I have no identity of my own.
I am your creation.

I don the clothes of your perception,
Living the life you have made for me.

I have no history but, what you have given me.
I mirror your dreams.

I remain the same until someone creates me anew,
Leaving you with the memory of your own creation.