Arias wave – have you ever just stood and watched water falling on a fountain? While on our trip to Vegas when I was so inspired by the Beatles show. I also ran across a fountain in front of the Aria hotel. Taking the time to study the fountain I noticed that the water would stop and start intermittently. Every time it would stop and start the pattern of the water falling would also change. The wall that the fountain was created on is solid granite but has ridges on it that cause the water to ripple on its way down the wall.  As I sat and studied this wall I began to realize the beauty of the patterns that were created every time it would stop and start again. I’m not sure who the artist is but Kudos to them for a great concept.  I began to take photos of every stop and start pattern of water falling on this fountain, not sure why I needed to take these photos or why I was drawn to this but I knew that something needed to be created.

When we got home from the trip I was looking at the photos and wondering about the movement of the water and how could I re-create that movement and the beauty of those patterns. How to create a mosaic that could highlightand capture each one of those photos. The process started with tracing the lines of every photo and over laying them on top of each other in a selected pattern to create what looks like a bunch of squiggly lines laid on top of each other. However I didn’t want to lose the character of the black granite wall and the silver shimmer of the water falling on the granite. So my color palette would remain a simple black, white and silver.  With the right cabinet door on hand I was ready to go or so I thought.   This piece was much more complex than I originally anticipated.   Even though every line was drawn trying to capture and recreate the depth and shadowing of the granite behind it was a challenge.  Even harder was creating what would look and feel like water falling.  Vertical bugle beads were used to represent the lines of the water, but that meant each one of these bugle beads had to be placed individually in order to create the proper sense of movement. Then the gradation of black to silver beads what is the next challenge. It had to be done in a very tight small space and over and over and over again. What I created in the end is a beautiful composition that is both simplistic and complex, immersive and captivating. Following each line and seeing how they interact with each other keeps the viewer engaged on a subconscious level for extended periods of time.

Final Arias Wave 24x21.5