We Are Waves
Radio waves, more specifically: what we call “matter” is really empty space, crossed by vibrations.
Rad-io
"Wirewave", Acrylic on dropcloth, roughly 12x20"
We're made of waves, radio waves, more specifically:
what we call “matter” is really empty space, crossed by vibrations.
As I internalized this my world changed: I now see everything as patterns of energy waves layered around us, and in our dance through them we decide which ones to engage with.
It turns out Surfing is a great metaphor for Life.
As a surfer myself I was bound to paint a wave sooner or later.
I started out with layers (of course): I painted on a very coarse canvas (a dropcloth) and I layered multiple colors ending with a cobalt blue on top. Due to the coarse weave of the dropcloth the colors underneath show through the weave, giving it a somewhat iridescent effect, you can see it in the short video clip here.
Once i was happy with the color of the "water" I started laying down the three-dimensional structure of the wave itself, layering colors at each pass to keep the richness that I started with the background.
With the structure in place I then started adding my script marks to create the effect I like to call "Funky wireframe", where there is a see-through mesh of script marks, similar to the wireframe you see in 3D software, but instead of being composed of straight lines it's made of these more elaborate and irregular ("funky") lines.
As I painted the funky wireframe I used it to also suggest the shading of the wave, with the patterns fading out in the darkest parts of the wave.
To complete the picture I adde some dynamism with the palette knife to show water splashing on impact as the wave closes
The painting is now hanging in the home of a pre-teen rising surf champion, hopefully it will inspire him to keep winning.
