Water Refractions

"Water Refractions No. 3"

Studying light and how we perceive it has held a life long fascination for me. Much like my Sun Shadow series, I have recently been looking at how lines bend in nature, this time through the flattening of perspective in water refractions. Removing color often flattens an image and helps me to explore the interior of the image more quickly. So in this set of images, I decided to remove the color from the original photograph and then added a single color back in.

These recent photographs taken at the Gerrish Swim and Tennis Club helped me to explore the undulating lines refracting in the water. I was captivated by the light rays penetrating the water which bent the objects, in this case the darker line tiles below. The constantly moving water was creating new patterns every time I looked down. Since the angle changed every time the water moved, the refracting light made the lines look different every time.

My boss David Hockney has spent years analyzing how water refracts, what it's effects are on subjects in the pool and has spent endless hours looking at its elusive quality. I've always appreciated his exploration of this medium and the affects of refraction. Recently becoming a pool owner myself, I look forward to also studying this subject matter in conjunction with my Sun Shadows.

I could really get used to watching the water undulate on the surface and the patterns the light rays make as they become distorted by the physics of refraction.

To the pool!

Julie Green
June 11, 2016

"Water Refractions No. 5"

"Water Refractions No. 7"

"Water Refractions No. 8"

"Water Refractions No. 9"