STONE CAT
A painting by Jim Thompson
Digital 16”x20”
See actual detail.
This image was born from purely serendipitous circumstances. The observer might pause for more than a few moments, perhaps caught by the subtle shape that becomes apparent in the seemingly chaotic plane of wrinkles and veins that dominate the main space. The background is actually a sample of wrinkled gold foil. The foil was the remains of a candy wrapper that was almost discarded when it was reflattened after being wadded up. This mass of crinkled, jumbled edges, highlights and valleys begged to be played with. After scanning this contorted surface, a "smear brush tool" in a computer paint program was used to make strokes in the wrinkles, creating smooth shaped impressions in them. More stroking soon produced what appeared to be a cat's eye. Some tonal and highlight detail was added and there looking back from the surface of the image was almost half of a cat's face. This half face was copied, flipped in a mirror image of the first half, then joined in the middle. Now there appeared the full face of a cat-like creature. Long soft strokes across the plane of the image gave the likeness of veins in some golden brown marble stone. Thus the name "Stone Cat."
Art, Mind and Soul
Artist and creator
Also see Jim Thompson's technical art web site at www.jt-techart.com