PATTERNS AND TONES

"Body Refractions: Form No. 1" We make connections between light and shadow to give meaning to the image we are presented with. It is human nature to try to identify the subject we are looking at as a way of determining whether we are safe or in danger. We are hardwired to make these quick assumptions in order to survive. This psychological phenomenon of seeing faces in abstract forms is called Pareidolia. It can be seen in the Rorschach inkblot text, which helps doctors obtain a better understanding of their patients mental state by allowing them to describe what they see in an arbitrary form. It can also be attributed to many religious apparitions, such as seeing the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese sandwich , or the seeing the face of Jesus in the  Shroud of Turin . In this final set of images from my Body Refractions series (a study in water, light and refraction), I was captivated by the abstract forms my subject's body created underwater. The obliteration o...

"Body Refractions: Shadow No. 1" Another bright and sunny week here in Southern California got me looking at the shadows we cast upon the surface of our pool. Our shadows were still being refracted by the undulating water below but had less depth as they were not within the water but merely being cast upon its surface. We had a lot of fun "posing" for our shadow portraits and as I tried out different angles and gestures to evoke a recognizable human stance, it reminded me of the amazing shadow puppets I had seen last year at the Hong Kong Museum of History . Intricately pierced paper and leather structures were back lit to cast their forms onto the wall, their hinged arms and legs allowing them to walk, sway and dance with ease. Watching the shadows also reminded me of the Paper Ballet I produced several years ago which incorporated shadow puppetry in the background of the subjects. " Fleeting Perspectives: A Paper Ballet " was a series of 16 ima...

"Body Refractions: Face No. 1"  In this third batch of images studying refractions of the human form in water, I decided to concentrate on my favorite subject - the human face. Proportions and expressions fascinate me. The face immediately conveys a host of information and is a visual language we have unconsciously learned since we were born. Facial recognition is one of our greatest survival mechanisms. As infants we develop the ability to recognize our caregivers early on and begin to mimic adult expressions as early as two days old.  What is interesting is that our brains are hardwired in such a way that the area where we process facial recognition is also the same area where we process emotions and memories. Now wonder our emotional memory can be triggered by  characteristic features of certain individuals. When a face is then obscured, our brains try to fill in the blanks by making visual connections to identify the individual. I find it interesting how...

"Body Refractions: Hair No. 1" Hair has been a symbol for water for centuries. They both represent power, vigor, and abundance. Seeing hair wave underwater, as if blown by the wind, added a counterpoint to the reflections of light and patterns on top of and below the surface. Interestingly, my daughter's blonde hair was painted red by the refraction of both the underwater pool light and sunlight. Red waves lengths travel faster and last longer that blue wavelengths. The bending of these wavelengths by the denser medium of water slows the wavelengths down and changes their direction, creating what is known as refraction. The red becomes a more dominant color reflected off the surface of the objects in the pool. Next week I'll be studying the distorting effects of refraction on the face. Julie Green July 8, 2017 "Body Refractions: Hair No. 2" "Body Refractions: Hair No. 3" "Body Refractions: Hair No. 4" ...

"Body Refractions: Legs No. 1" Summer time = pool time, and I have found my little oasis the perfect place to relax and reflect athe end of every day. As my mind slowly disengages from the daily grind, I listen, watch and learn from nature right in front of me. As I observed my daughter Edie swimming beneath the water, I became fascinated with the abstract patterns her skin devovlved into the water below.  Last year I was captured similar patterns and undulations distoring lane tiles at the bottom of a local swimming pool. The images can be seen in a blog piece I did called " Water Refractions " . Their monochromatic palate helped to emphasis the patterns I was concentrating on.  Last week as the sun was setting, I became intrigued by the layers of texture created by the bottom of the pool (which desperately needs to be replastered but fortunately in this case became an interesting backdrop) coupled with the distortion of my subject l...