J Byous Photography and Fine Art
Our fine-art images are archival giclee prints on canvas or watercolor paper guaranteed to last for generations. After printing some images are enhanced with transparent oils and pencils then coated with a protective brush-stroke medium. Signed and numbered limited edition prints are also available. Details are available upon request. 912-656-6539.
Gallery (Click image to view)
Science to Art to Surreal: Photomicrographs as Art
Finding beauty in brokenness can be a blessing of the mind and spirit. In these images the refractive qualities of glass and light interact to evoke one's vision of whimsy or conversely reveal one's demons. I was surprised at some of my own interpretations… more demons than expected buffered by substantial whimsy.
Some included here are studio portraits of the small one-half-inch-in-diameter glass cones. They emphasize the shapes and beauty-of-form in an attempt to transcend sterile science photos that grace the endless pages of academic journals. Many photos may have hidden features. Some do not. The viewer creates his or her own vision, so look closely.
Other images reveal surreal extensions of the viewer’s mind where shapes are interpreted and features created from personal experiences, beliefs, fears and wishes.
The image above, “Watchers of the Fire” is interpreted by some as adventurers around a camp fire. Others see the same shapes as demons watching the fires of Hell. You may find another personal interpretation.
I discovered these images while revisiting a photographic record created and compiled during nine years of laboratory studies on the physicalities of Hertzian fractures. By cropping closer, hidden and surreal images were highlighted in many of the photos.
Hertzian fractures are commonplace. You’ve seen them before. They’re all around. They can be created when a rock hits a windshield, when a BB strikes glass or when a hammer strikes a rock. Primitive mankind made stone tools by whacking stone on stone to create arrowheads and blades. The serrated, sharpened edges were lines of Hertzian fractures. They are so common that they are overlooked because of their perceived insignificance. They are far from that assumption. Civilizations were built on their contributions.
All images are as they were found and photographed in full or partial Hertzian fractures in plate glass. I did not paint or alter images beyond normal color, contrast, dodging and burning processes.
The project transitioned from science to art to surreal.
- James Byous
For more information on Hertzian fractures
Watchers of the Fire. Photomicrograh of an area with a diameter of about 1.5 mm (~1/16") Flame-like features are microscopic fractures called hackles. They are the fissures created when a projectile strikes a brittle surface. Window and incandescent light used creates variances of color and value.
All images © James Byous 2014. All rights reserved