Ripple Effect Maquette
2012, Ross Matteson
Photography credits: Ross Matteson
I enjoy the challenge of using wildlife subjects to explore philosophical themes.
Ripple Effect Maquette is an example of this, with some “science” included in the discussion. It features a bufflehead duck moving along the surface of the water causing a little rippling wake which in turn intersects some bigger waves. In the tradition of a scientific drawing or Northwest Indian art that helps the viewer to see through a subject, I have extracted the block of water that this duck is swimming in. The submerged water ripples behind the ducks feet are a total abstraction used to illustrate motion, whereas the waves on the surface of the water are very life-like noting, of course, that polished marble is not water, though capable of expressing some similar qualities.
Hopefully, more than a snapshot of wave physics and fauna, this exemplification of moving energy suggests the grace at which propelling and converging forces can be navigated.