U.S. Pictures – Fine Art Imagery & More…
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A spiral pattern created from an actual night photograph of Fire Control Tower #3 at Tower Beach Park of the Delaware Seashore State Park System. When it comes to abstract art I am more about colors and patterns than anything else. I have always liked blue – nearly all shades – and it goes well with black. So I created this abstract by swirling a “real” photograph that was primarily the shades of cobalt blue you see here along with a nearly all-black background. The colors caught my eye and I thought – just let me swirl these around a bit.
Here is the original photo…I simply thought the colors “worked” for the new rendition. FCT #3 is currently being restored as a museum piece and is lighted at night by cobalt blue spotlights. The tower was originally photographed by me, Bill Swartwout, in a swirling rain. The cobalt blue swirl was, hence, derived from the original image keeping only the blue of the tower and the black of the sky. A collection of lights swirling against a black void is, of course, a galaxy collective and, in this instance, in cobalt blue. A galaxy is made up of stars so the star accent was added for a touch or realism. Right?
While the tower is no longer recognizable in the least, the colors are pretty much intact and make a distinctive design when “swirled” in my image editing software.
It is rather obvious from where the abstract was developed once you see the colors of the original photograph. Hey, wouldn’t that (the abstract) make a challenging jigsaw puzzle?
Chose a link below to see the full image for each photograph above. You can see it on various substrates for wall art and also as a variety of home decor items.
Link: Galaxy Collective in Cobalt Blue with Star
Link: Fire Control Tower 3 in Cobalt Blue
Link to: Bill’s full Gallery at Fine Art America
Link to: Bill’s Gallery at Pictorem
Fire Control Tower #3 is bathed in cobalt blue light on a rainy night in coastal Delaware. Fire Control Tower #3 is located at the Tower Beach Facility in one of the the Delaware Seashore State Parks. This tower, along with Tower #4 in the same state park, and several others along the Delaware Coast provided targeting information for the big guns at Fort Miles, several miles to the north.
Fort Miles and the World War II Fire Control Towers of the Delaware coast were an early example of, what we call today, Homeland Security. Fort Miles and the FCTs were built to protect the Delaware Bay from invasion by enemy ships. They proved to be an excellent deterrent because fire was never directed on an enemy vessel throughout the war.
Of course, you have to start with a good image with proper exposure, clarity and composition. When those criteria are met it can be rewarding to explore some filter options and the effect they can have for the overall, artistic presentation.
I love airshows and airplanes of all kinds. I have been a Private Pilot for half a century and here is one of my personal favorite show pictures. I shot this over the beach in Ocean City, Maryland at the airshow in June, 2015 and shows a 60+ year evolution of military fighter aircraft. A World War II a P-51 Mustang World War II fighter airplane is flying in formation with an F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet.
Here is a simulated Charcoal Sketch presentation that gives a bit more “pop” to the two airplanes. That is likely because the “charcoal” sky is more textured and not the clear/plain blue in the original photograph. There is also more apparent detail in the fighters, themselves. What do you think? (Please respond in the comments section.)
The charcoal rendition here of two different fighter planes are meant to be more tonal sketches and express the idea of a plane as a fast-moving machine. True to their nature, these images were “blasted” with a charcoal filter in Topaz Studio2 to minimize details and add a dramatic effect that suits the aggressive, potent look of war pilots in the skies.
Here is the original photograph of the two military fighters flying north over the beach in front of an estimated 100,000 viewers.
Going one step further is an Expressionism presentation where much of the detail is converted to fluid lines and colors. This provides a more abstract rendition of these two aircraft but also illustrates the fluidity of the design allowing the airfoils to slice through the air at incredible speeds.
Links
Link: Raptor and Mustang in Formation Charcoal Sketch
Link: Raptor and Mustang in Formation
Link: Raptor and Mustang in Formation Expressionism
Link to: Bill’s Fine Art America/Pixels Gallery
Link to: Bill’s Pictorem Gallery
In the photographs above 75 years of aviation history are represented in the P-51 Mustang World War II fighter airplane and 2009-15 F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet flying in formation over the beach in Ocean City, Maryland.
The P-51 Mustang was built to serve in the skies over World War II battlefields. It was developed and produced by North American Aviation in 1940. It could attain speeds over 400 MPH and carried 6 50-caliber Browning Machine Guns.
The F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet was built by Lockheed Martin in 2009 and (obviously) still flies today to provide defenses for the United States Armed Forces and carries a variety of modern weaponry.
Note: The images for sale are proportionally “sized” for framing in 8×10 up to 16×20 inch sizes and would look great on a wall in your home or office.