3D Crafted Water Lilies

Claude Monet painted a series of Water lilies paintings using his impressionist technique and layering of paint to create a sense of depth in the painting, allowing the viewer to immerse themselves in the calmness of the artwork. The series became the french impressionist painter’s masterpiece and is revered the world over for its use of colour, understanding of light and depth, and panoramic display. Using Water Lilies as an inspiration I combine Monet's techniques with modern 3D printing technology to turn the 2D illusion of depth into a real three-dimensional object, thus bringing the digital image into the physical world. The project aims to help audiences understand and reconnect with the original painting while investigating the properties of digital and physical craft. 

I mimic Monet's painting the technique by digitally painting 15 individual images on Photoshop with the aim of layering the images via a process of observation Monet layered his paints; the use of observation and impressionism reflects Monet's process, and I would forward this is the best process to design within this context.

The final design is a small Voxel 3D print, which not only accurately reflects Monet's work but enhances it. Despite Monet's brilliance he like all painters is restricted to a 2D plane. As my work adds depth through 3D printing, I can break the 2D plane which restricted Monet and design an object that has tacit qualities. This can be seen when a backlight shines through the print we get a similar quality to light rays shining through a pond, as the light illuminates and is distorted by the material fragments. the voxel print has a type of cinematography quality to it, due to harness light within an object, which separates the print from most 3D prints and artworks. the ability to harness light showcases the depth and 3D nature of crafted objects and presents an insight into how art and design can blend via the advancement of technology.