FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Birmingham, Alabama
1 April 2015
The DS Art Studio is excited to announce the development of
a new digitally-based art form with the deceptively simple title of Water Painting.
Alabama artists Don Stewart and Sue Ellen Brown, working with
a team of students from the Industrial Design and Engineering departments at
Auburn University, have created a new computerized program that allows artists
to ‘paint’ the surface of an enclosed body of water, revealing complex,
detailed images in vibrant relief.
Using a proprietary software algorithm to synchronize an
array of submerged wave generators and micro-pulsating water jets around the
periphery of a swimming pool, the husband and wife team of artists has managed to create a
programmable system that transforms the surface of the water into recognizable
images.
“This amazing technique comprises nothing less than an
entirely new medium of artistic expression,” said illustrator and portraitist
Sue Ellen Brown, who headed the project.
“Virtually anything you can paint with a brush can now be reproduced
in tiny waves of water.”
Brown explained that it’s easy to make circles appear, just
by dropping a pebble into a pool. Multiple pebbles make circles that interact
with one another, generating more complex, random shapes. The challenge,
according to Brown, was to make sense out of the chaos.
“This is our version of the Mona Lisa,” says artist Don
Stewart, Brown’s husband and co-owner of the DS Art Studio in Homewood,
Alabama, where the new ‘painting’ process was invented.
Stewart stands poolside at the local YMCA, and touches a
series of icons on his iPad. The flat surface of the water thrums to life.
Within seconds the enigmatic image of Leonardo’s most famous portrait shimmers into focus. A moment later the scene shifts, morphing into Van Gogh’s Starry Night.
“It’s really just a matter of manipulating interference
patterns,” says Stewart, who readily admits his lack of understanding of the
math required to create the team’s undulating artworks. “It’s unbelievably
complicated,” he says. “But that’s why we have computers, isn't it?”
According to the artists, this latest technological advancement
offers all sorts of possibilities within the fine art world and beyond, from decorating
competitive venues at collegiate and Olympic events, to customizing private
pools with portraits of the owners and their pets.
“Imagine, swimmers mount the podium to receive their medals,
and the entire pool vibrates into the shape of that country’s flag. That would
be impressive, don't you think?” said Brown.
The patent-pending process is currently being adapted for
home use, so that people can view pre-programmed art, and design original water-works
for their bathtubs and garden reflecting pools.
A micro version of the device could even allow baristas to
paint detailed foam images on the surface of espresso orders.
“We’re considering making it an app, so that everyone can
use their cell phones to water-paint.” Stewart said.
The artists are seeking investors and potential distributors
to further develop their concept. “I can't wait to see what kind of a splash
this new technology makes in the Shark Tank,” Brown quips.
Contact:
Don Stewart www.DSArt.com
Sue Ellen Brown www.ZooLNArt.com
DS Art Studio Gallery
2805 Crescent Ave
Homewood, Alabama 35209
205-802-4700
1-800-372-7864
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