Author: JohnM

Watercolor Wildflowers is studio artist business. John Meng-Frecker is a retired civil engineer surveyor - I make resin art ornaments, lighthouses, nightlights, geometric art, resin paintings, and I do other graphic arts related services like framing and hanging installations. My resin slab designs are geometric themes and color compositions. Art pieces are transparent, colorful and illuminated with LED by AC or battery power. Shipping of online purchase is free and local Installation in Omaha area is included with purchase.My resin art is unlike any other and will look incredible in your home or business. My paintings are planned, well constructed, and beautiful. Hang them on your wall or in front of a window. I've built LED backlighting which shines brightly through the colorful resin. Made-to-order and Commissions 4029437516.
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3D Mountain Art: Landscapes Embodied in Plaster and Watercolor

plaster casting of topographic model

Fresco is an old technique where the pigment is embedded in wet plaster while painting a mural. I have adapted the technique to a more modern application. I use plaster on a foam casting to build natural looking topography for mountains and coastal samples of land as seen from above. The plaster takes the watercolor very well and it becomes a permanent part of the finished painting / sculpture.

The interesting part of a topographic sculpture is that it casts shadow on the painting just as the sun casts shadow on the land. These shadows are incredibly interesting and change as the light moves. It is easy to visualize just how the land looks because of the 3D shape and the lighting on one side and shadow on the other side of mountains and hills. There are even shadows cast from waves as the sea rolls onto the beach!

My background in surveying and civil engineering has given me a passion for seeing land from a terrestrial or aerial perspective. I find that I can experiment with watercolor to capture a genuine look by layering of similar or different colors. The transparency of watercolor looks so vibrant with a background of white paper. Why not do the same with white plaster?

Some of the pieces get heavier than intended, which is why I use a foam core. With proper hanging and framing the piece can be displayed on a wall or set vertically on the floor against the wall. Having the light incorporated into the art is a “sick” idea according to my son.

The lights I use are strong but warm LED lights that have a motion sensor so the light comes on when someone is near the artwork. The light has a USB charged battery in the attractive design. The lights are included with the sale of the painting.

mountainous terrain in three dimensions
mountainous terrain in three dimensions built from plaster and watercolor
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Jalama Beach at Sunset

3D sculpture of land at Jalama Beach, California painted in watercolor,

This amazing piece illustrates the coastland at #Jalama Beach in California.  The motion sensor LED light is placed to the west of the coastland and casts shadows like the sun.  The land is sandy #beaches and rocky #cliffs and rugged hills sporting a colorful red and green Christmas coat. My 3D painting of Jalama land is original, unique and ready for a new home. 

3D sculpture of land at Jalama Beach, California painted in watercolor, equipped with motion sensor light on the left side pretending to be the setting sun.
Jalama Beach at Sunset, 36″ x 36″ x 6″ framed shadowbox
intensely lighted plaster relief model of Jalama Beach in as it appeared to the artist during Winter
30″ x 30″ plaster relief model of Jalama Beach in Southern California. The winter landscape covered in autumn colored ice plant contrasts with the white sand beach and blue ocean washing ashore. Strong topography shows cliffs and rolling land as it appeared to the artist during days of study.
Jalama Beach is in California south of Vandenberg AFB. There are miles and miles of empty land. The video shows light from the left side of the model (west) at a low angle casting shadows on the opposite side of hills, waves, rocks. The model is colored like the land, a green and red scrub from the winter ice plant turning orange. The model was created using topography from Google Earth.

Photos

Here are some terrain photos so you can compare and judge how well I modeled the relatively untouched land I walked on and photographed.

orange ice plant on land above the ocean shore with headland in the distance below a cloudy sky.
An S shaped coast of cliffs and shore and waves in foreground with dark blue headlands in distance
Orange basin of ice plant with ocean and mountains in the distance.
Flat sandy beach with cliffs rising up on one side and ocean stretching out on other side.
perfect lighting condition of yellow clouds, grey fog, dark brown cliffs and wet surf.
Changing weather with sun and shade, fog and dry, hills and flat shore.
A black stork like bird flying above rugged waves of solid turquoise in foreground and grey stillness in background.
Slices of rock leaning on each other like crackers but they are green moss covered at edge of ocean.
Ruins of an old house in the lonely ice plant sand with fog in background.
Point Concepcion, CA Lighthouse
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Aerial Perspective Mountain Art with 3D Lighting | Watercolor Wildflowers

a close view of the watercolor painting illuminated by light at a low sun angle

I’m in love with mountains! I like hiking, scenery, driving and of course painting mountains. So, here’s something totally new! In nearly all landscape art the view is from the side and hardly ever from the top down. Artists try to capture the character of mountains using local color, shape, shadows, light and shading. I thought, what if I could show the color in paint, the shape in relief, and let the light take care of the shadows.

watercolor painting on 3D plaster mountains with lights shining from the bottom inside of a shadowbox
lights illuminate the desert landscape in this 36″ x 36″ watercolor painting on 3D plaster mountains

Here’s a photo of what I designed and developed as an art form to more intuitively portray the look of mountains from an aerial perspective. It is a bit abstract but I like abstract paintings that give the mind something to look for. In this case it is the coloring of the desert as the sun sets and part is warm exposed by the sun and part is cool where the light does not fully reach. This scene transitions from warm to cool from south to north. I could imagine the shape of shadows but why not create the mountains with three dimensional shape and add lighting to solve the location of where sunlight reaches the terrain?

watercolor painting on 3D plaster mountains with lights shining from the bottom inside of a shadowbox
lights illuminate the desert landscape in this 36″ x 36″ watercolor painting on 3D plaster mountains

A shadow box is used to block ambient light from illuminating the mountains from the side. The 6″ bottom shelf is a little bit wider than the 4″ sides to allow the lights to be placed at a low sun angle (but not too low). The lights are battery powered LED with a remote control. I plan to make other versions of this and this one is for sale for only $350 frame and lights included. Free shipping.

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