By Paul A. Bartlett
The pages below describe the unique concept behind the Xtra-Dimensions approach and how the pieces are created, and show examples of how I’ve applied it to a variety of images.
Your world has more than 2 dimensions – so should your pictures!
The Concept
A photograph presents us with an image from a moment in time and prompts us to visualize the scene as it was. Unfortunately, a photograph leaves a lot out, elements that we know were there but are now left to our imagination. The movements of a rippling water surface or the reflections that change from…
The Process
The computer work flow starts by creating a grid pattern for the picture components that is appropriate for the image. Below is a portion of “Brian’s Koi” with the grid pattern superimposed on the image. A mask is then created for each of the four layers, one of which is shown here: The physical work…
The Artist
3-Dimensionality has always interested me. Before embarking on an exploration of the world of “Xtra-Dimensions”, I was a professor of chemistry at UC Berkeley. I taught organic chemistry and my research concerned molecules involved in natural biological processes (click here for my academic website). The chemistry of these molecules depends on their structures, and their…
Through the Water
The Xtra-Dimensional approach actually grew out of my desire to portray the fluidity, movement, and reflections that are evident when you look at a lake or pond – but are missing in a simple photograph. My first attempt was a 12″ x 16″ rendering of a picture I took from my kayak off Dollar Point…
Leaves and Forests
Forest scenes are also 3-dimensional, with the overlapping leaves of fall foliage, or a stand of aspens with cylindrical trunks receding into the distance. For such scenes, the shapes of the individual Xtra-Dimension components themselves are chosen to complement the scene. Red on Black (36″ x 24″) Photograph by Finalast For this dramatic image of…
Abstract and Other Subjects
In addition to the images illustrated in the other Xtra-Dimensional pages, I have also used the approach to enhance abstract and other designs. The Furies (31″ x 38″) Photograph by Andre Ermolaev This aerial image of glacial rivers in Iceland from the late Russian photographer André Ermolaev has always intrigued me. The dynamic, abstract elements…
Cityscapes
New Bay Bridge – woven pattern (38″ x 26″) From a picture I took from the bike path of the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, using the criss-crossed suspender cables to define a pattern that continues throughout the piece. For this pattern, the components are all mounted at the same level, but they are interlaced…
Mutual Aid
Photographer Jerry Dodrill‘s composite of photographs he took of door panels of fire trucks from agencies that responded to the Napa and Sonoma wildfires in October is a powerful tribute to the thousands of fire fighters who came to help. I’m honored to collaborate with Jerry on his Mutual Aid Project to present his image in…
Under the Water
Energy Wave (26″ x 38″) Photograph by Russell Ord Russell Ord takes some amazing photographs from the surfing spots near his home in Margaret River, Western Australia. For “Energy Wave”, I used a complex curving pattern to try to capture the wave’s progression from a smooth rise at the lower left to the fragmenting, almost…
Koi
One of my earliest Xtra-Dimensions pieces was from a photograph my friend Brian Metcalf took of his koi pond. Brian’s Koi (24″ x 36″) Photograph by Brian Metcalf Although it had some of the patterns and dimensionality that I hoped to capture with this approach, there have been some refinements since then! 3 Koi (22″ x…
Panoramas
Bryce Canyon Panorama (24″ x 66″ x 5″) Photograph by Matthias Kabel The “Xtra-Dimensional” approach can evoke the geology of the American southwest with its layer-upon-layer of sedimentary rock formations, as exemplified in a large-format image of Bryce Canyon. This piece is also mounted on a concave surface, reflecting the wrap-around nature of that scene.…
The Next Level
The “Xtra-Dimensional” approach is not limited in size; with image components printed directly on aluminum and then curved and mounted, a large installation can be created. Shown below is a 40″ x 40″ section of a 10′ x 20′ image of an aspen forest. Photograph by Paul Kozal Return to the Home Page for links…
Galleries
Xtra-Dimensions pieces can currently be seen at the following galleries and locations: Studio Seven Arts in Pleasanton, CA Bluestone in Truckee, CA The Carmel Gallery in Truckee, CA Berkeley Mills, Berkeley, CA Studio 391 in Gualala, CA
