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.

Alhambra Valley (29″ x 38″)

Photograph by Paul Bartlett

A somewhat quirky take on this golden Contra Costa valley and Mount Diablo.  Expanding the vertical dimension turns the rolling hills into a stormy sea, whose energy is then tapped by a sinuous pattern of components that weaves throughout the image.

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 descending to the left are how I might envisage The Furies (“Erinyes”), the mythical Greek deities of vengeance, hence my title for this piece.

Rainbow Eucalyptus Trio (each 26″ x 18″)

Photographs by Paul Kozal

This series uses Paul Kozal’s photographs of rainbow eucalyptus trees taken along the road to Hana in Maui.  The trio of pieces provides a vibrant blend of colors, each piece with a different pattern for the individual components.

Pastel Seas Trio (each 26″ x 22″)

Photographs by Paul Kozal

Paul Kozal has a beautiful series of photographs of the ocean surface as the sun sets on the California north coast.   Related in color, these images have different energies and movement that I tried to capture with different patterns in three commissioned pieces.

Reflection Blues (38″ x 28″)

Photograph by Brad Baker

Brad Baker, a new collaborator from Australia, has some beautiful photographs of water surfaces and reflections.  For “Reflection Blues”, I try to capture the mysterious feeling of the reflected light on the water with components that alternatively curve up, then down, like the ripples themselves.

     

Delta Sunset (23-1/2″ x 63″)

Photograph by Paul Bartlett

Sometimes nature paints a picture for us!  I took the photograph for “Delta Sunset” while I was kayaking on the Napa River by Vallejo.  But the picture was taken around noon, and it’s not of the sky but of the rusty side of a boat moored at Mare Island…

Frozen River – El Capitan (35″ x 30-1/2″)

Photograph by Elizabeth Carmel

To complement Elizabeth Carmel’s striking photograph of El Capitan, reflected in a frozen river studded with pine needles, I introduced a lot of angularity and then extended the aluminum pieces beyond the picture borders as if the image components were mounted on ice shards themselves. And then for fun, I used blue Oranjeboom beer cans for the entire piece.)

Sand Feathers (32″ x 32″)

Photograph by Paul Kozal

Paul Kozal’s photographs of the end-of-day light on a north coast beach show patterns that seem more like the feathers of a bird wing or a progression of waves on a smooth sea than the patterns made by water flowing across the sand.   What you see in the Xtra-Dimensional pieces change with the lighting and point of view, as if you were on the beach itself.

Sand Ripples (22″ x 22″ and 32″ x 32″)

Photograph by Paul Kozal

Aspen Mirror (32-1/2″ x 32-1/2″)

Photograph by Elizabeth Carmel

Conflict: USNS Ponchatoula (22″ x 32″)

While kayaking among the mothball fleet moored in Suisun Bay in the Sacramento Delta, I was struck by the colorful patterns on the sides of the rusting old ships. “Conflict” came from the side of USNS Ponchatoula, perhaps appropriate for a supply ship that served in both the Vietnam and Gulf wars. The ship has since been removed from California and scrapped in Texas; her history is described here.

Starry Night (24″ x 16″)

Photograph by Paul Kozal

Layers of 4-point stars complement Paul Kozal’s dramatic photograph of a Sea Ranch cypress stand silhouetted against the Milky Way.

Andromeda Galaxy (22″ x 34″)

Mosaic image by Robert Gendler

For Robert Gendler’s iconic image of the Andromeda Galaxy, I used 4-point star components,  shaped and mounted so that a star-like pattern is generated when the piece is lit from the back.

Interface (22″ x 34″)

Drawing by Logan Vincent

My nephew Logan did a crayon drawing that also struck me as a beautiful image to be constructed of multiple pieces and multiple layers.

Return to the Home Page for links to more examples.