An Impossible Dream
A soft, luminous light created when the sun is below the horizon and Earth's surface is neither completely lit nor completely dark.
From the fiery horizons of Thailand to the proud roots of the British landscape, the magic of the folkloric 'blue hour' is brought to life. Taken from the French l'heure bleue, it describes the elusive 10 minute window for photographers to capture the moment just before and after the sun appears. Richard explains: "With it comes the promise of times ahead. It's about waiting for the clouds to pass, the colours to form and the sun to rise or set. Its an awe and beauty we all take for granted".
To recreate the vivid hues, Richard uses two different oil paints and his own chemical formula, with timing crucial for blending and applying layers. The colours are more radiant on glass than when they are first squeezed from the tube, as the medium adds its own refractive luminosity. Richard says; "I wanted to study the visually-striking display created by indirect sunlight tinting the sky. With glass naturally responding to changes in light, the paintings will continue to evolve over time".
Pretty In Pink
Location: Scotland
Music: 'Valley's'
by Inward Oceans
Weather The Storm.
"Glowing with soft pastel tones and contrasted by intricate black details, this ethereal limited edition artwork depicts a sunset in Tyndrum, a few miles south of Glencoe in Scotland.".
All The Time In The World II
Location: Iceland
Music: 'Aurora In Faerieland'
by James Newton Howard.
The Maleficent Soundtrack.
"This otherworldly limited edition by Richard Rowan transcends photography and human perception by capturing one scene over two days. Allowing the Milky Way, an aurora, mountains, and the lake to feature in one composition, this exquisite scene can only otherwise experienced in person over a long time period in Iceland".
Vanilla Skies
Location: Iceland
Music: 'At First Sight'
by Gavin Luke.
"This glowing limited edition artwork
features a sunny yellow sky dramatically contrasted by icy tones of white and blue. Intricately foregrounded with precise black lines and shading, it captures an early sunrise in Iceland after a long night awake by the artist".
Lightly Struck
Location: Thailand
Music: 'Vespertino'
by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard.
"Using a scalpel to cut through his intricate layers of paint to create the bold and realistic lightening bolt, here Richard has captured a storm during the wet season in Thailand in this electric limited edition artwork".
Impossible Dream
Location: Finland
"Influencing the name of the entire collection and accompanying book, this enchanting, limited edition artwork is testament to the power of art and the artist whose technique of reverse painting onto glass allows him to capture such breath-taking scenes as this. Richard notes that upon visiting this lake with friends in Finland, he has been unable to capture the milky way and its reflection on the lake on camera. Thus, it is only upon using his artistic license and beautiful technique that this exclusive scene has been translated onto glass and allows the viewer to look through a window into the magical scenery and sky.".