Cosmic Compass
by Omaste Witkowski
Title
Cosmic Compass
Artist
Omaste Witkowski
Medium
Painting - Digital Painting
Description
North, South, East and West. All are represented here. You can see our planet and all its elements. Fire Water Air and earth. This compass is used by the gods to survey their realm. Sitting high above it all they witness the daily meanderings that comprise our lives.
You can see the layers that represent heaven and hell. They are connected to our existence in ways we spend our days seeking to understand. Invisible to the naked eye and only visible to those not seen by us.
"A compass is a navigational instrument that measures directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions (or points) � north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined. Usually, a diagram called a compass rose, which shows the directions (with their names usually abbreviated to initials), is marked on the compass. When the compass is in use, the rose is aligned with the real directions in the frame of reference, so, for example, the "N" mark on the rose really points to the north. Frequently, in addition to the rose or sometimes instead of it, angle markings in degrees are shown on the compass. North corresponds to zero degrees, and the angles increase clockwise, so east is 90 degrees, south is 180, and west is 270. These numbers allow the compass to show azimuths or bearings, which are commonly stated in this notation.
There are two widely used and radically different types of compass. The magnetic compass contains a magnet that interacts with the earth's magnetic field and aligns itself to point to the magnetic poles. The gyrocompass (sometimes spelled with a hyphen, or as two words) contains a rapidly spinning wheel whose rotation interacts dynamically with the rotation of the earth so as to make the wheel precess, losing energy to friction until its axis of rotation is parallel with the earth's.
The magnetic compass was first invented as a device for divination as early as the Chinese Han Dynasty (Since about 206 BC ).[1][2][3] The compass was used in Song Dynasty China by the military for navigational orienteering by 1040-1044,[4][5][6] and was used for maritime navigation by 1111 to 1117.[7] The use of a compass is recorded in Western Europe between 1187 and 1202,[8][9][10] and in Persia in 1232.[11] The dry compass was invented in Europe around 1300.[12] This was supplanted in the early 20th century by the liquid-filled magnetic compass.[" - Wikipedia
This painting started out as a picture of handblown glass created by Garth Mudge of Glassworks in Winthrop Wa. Glassworks is located downtown in the beautiful Methow Valley in Okanogan County. It was taken with a Macro lens and is a very small section of the overall object. The colors are vivid and alive due to the way that I am illuminating the glass art as I am taking the picture. In a way I am photographing the light as it passes through the object.
In this particular photograph I have gone in by hand and painted over the original image. Adding my own textures and visions to the shapes and colors I started with.
I have been a professional photographer for many years but it is only recently that I have been photographing glass at any level. It is such an exciting experience to discover these images. I almost feel like an archeologist as I explore a small hidden word and reveal the treasures within.
Uploaded
February 23rd, 2013
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