In Man And Woman, the painting is similar to an X-ray by examining what’s below the surface. This painting changes by day and night, like a creature of the natural world, as an owl comes to life at night. Part of my Hyaloid Intervals series of paintings, I build panels that are essentially light boxes. I paint the inside of the box white and install LED string lights. The lights come with a sensor and remote control so the viewer can change the string of lights to different colors (red, blue, green, white, etc.) or set it to fade mode where the lights slowly fade from one to color to another. I place a clear acrylic sheet over the lights which closes up the light box, and I paint on the acrylic sheet. Each paint color has its own properties in terms of opacity or translucence, and this affects how the painting appears during the day (with the interior string lights off) versus the night (when the interior lights are on). For example, most white paints are very opaque, so during the day the paint looks white, but during the night, with the light source coming from behind the paint, the white becomes the darkest part of the painting. The painting works in a typical gallery setting and is also perfect for darker rooms or lounges where soft glowing light is desired.
This is the full painting in day view with the interior LED lights turned off.
Detail in night view.
Detail in day view.
Detail in night view.
Detail in day view.